Walgreens agrees to union proposal on pharmacy staffing

Walgreens said it has agreed to the staffing review proposal put forward by its Chicago-area pharmacists union, the National Pharmacists' Association (NPhA). The union had repeatedly cited the staffing review issue as the sticking point in contract talks and had called for the language from the previous contract to be retained, according to Walgreens. Michael Polzin, Walgreens spokesman, said, "We have always agreed to a staffing review process, and we believed our proposal was better because it addressed the same issues more quickly. However, in order to move negotiations along, we have agreed to the union proposal that keeps the same language we had in the previous contract."

Chuck Sauer, executive director of NPhA, issued a statement praising Walgreens for its decision to reinstate the staffing review committee, saying, "We need to review the company's proposal in greater detail before we meet again at the bargaining table, but we commend Walgreens for its willingness to work with us on the issue of patient safety."