CVS employees reach tentative contract agreement

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Unions representing more than 7,000 CVS workers in Southern California have reached a tentative agreement on a collective bargaining agreement after workers went on strike over the weekend demanding better wages, staffing and more affordable health care.

“Today proves that when workers fight, we win,” the United Food and Commercial Workers bargaining board said in a news release. “We look forward to discussing the details of this agreement with our colleagues before making our voices heard in the voting process.”

The strike, which affected four stores in Los Angeles and three in Orange County, began Friday morning and lasted through the weekend. The union filed an unfair labor practice charge against the company for using intimidation tactics and preventing workers from speaking to their union representatives.

A negotiating session was scheduled for Wednesday to hammer out the details of a contract that expires in June.

Union members will now have the opportunity to review and vote on the contract, which the committee “unanimously” recommends for approval.

Workers have said they cannot afford the cost of insurance offered by CVS. They also say stores are understaffed to meet the additional demands of flu season and that locked-up items on shelves are exacerbating staffing shortages.

The company said it was “pleased” to have reached a preliminary agreement.

“We are proud of our long-standing, productive relationship with the UFCW and hope to enter into a new agreement soon,” CVS spokeswoman Amy Thibault said in an emailed statement.

Last Friday, thousands of Rite Aid pharmacists in the Los Angeles area, also represented by the UFCW, voted to authorize a strike after two months of expiring contracts. The union alleged that the company engaged in unfair labor practices, such as incentivizing employees not to sign petitions and negotiating directly with employees.

More than 2,400 Kaiser psychiatrists quit their jobs on Monday indefinite strike about the increased workload and staff shortages that her union says have led to a “substandard” care system. Pickets were set up outside Kaiser facilities in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and San Diego counties.