1,200 Walgreen Pharmacists May Strike

Chicago, About 1,200 Walgreen Co. pharmacists are set to go on strike at about 400 stores in the Chicago area after the company’s refusal to hear their concerns over staffing shortages and working conditions, according to union officials. Workers at stores in northern Illinois and northwest Indiana plan to go on strike at 10 p.m. today, according to a statement issued by the National Pharmacists Association union.

In the most recent offer, the Walgreen said it would increase pharmacist pay by 20% to more than $100,000 a year, plus benefits, for a 40-hour workweek, according to a Walgreen spokesman. However the union rejected the proposal, citing “insufficient staffing,” including a shortage of trained technicians, rather than pay, as its main concerns.