News from UFCW
February 5, 2013
Caremark and the United Food & Commercial Workers have signed a cooperation agreement giving CVS/pharmacy employees at approximately 500 stores in the metropolitan Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego areas the opportunity to vote on whether or not they want to be represented by the union.
According to CVS Caremark and the UFCW, this cooperation agreement will help promote the success of the company and demonstrates the shared commitment of both parties to ensuring that employees have the right to choose whether to be represented by a union without pressure or undue influence.
“This agreement is fair and reasonable for our employees and the company,” said Larry J. Merlo, President and CEO of CVS Caremark. “It enables CVS Caremark to focus all of its energy and resources on our purpose of helping people on their path to better health.”
“We share a commitment to making retail jobs secure, allowing workers to pay their bills, raise a family and live a middle class life,” said Joe Hansen, International President of the UFCW.
The five-year agreement also establishes a quick and simple election process that allows workers to vote on whether or not to join the union.
There are more than 8,300 CVS/pharmacy employees who are currently UFCW members in 11 states and in the District of Columbia. In California, CVS recognized the workers’ union in 100 former Sav-On stores following the company’s acquisition of those stores in 2006. Under this new cooperative agreement, both parties have agreed to extend the existing collective bargaining agreement for other California CVS/pharmacy employees to incoming union members for the next five years.
