A possible solution

[xxallison]

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Members do not see this ad.

http://www.teamsterslocal727.org/cvs.html

 

[owlegrad]

http://www.teamsterslocal727.org/cvs.html

I would love to know what that union does for them. Do they get more pay, benefits, better conditions? Or do they just have the honor of paying dues?

 

[xxallison]

Better conditions and job security. Its about $70 a month.

 

[npage148]

Yeah, nothing but collect dues

CVS Pharmacists Ratify Three-Year Contract
Agreement Includes Wage Increases, Legal and Educational Assistance Benefit

Teamsters Local 727 secured multiple non-economic rights and improvements for about 100 CVS pharmacists, who ratified a three-year contract in a member vote May 3, 2010.

"It's a great contract. The pharmacists got the raises they deserve, and they can begin reaping the benefits of our unparalleled Legal and Educational plan immediately," said John Coli Jr., Local 727 Vice President. "We were also adamant about protecting the nine-hour work day and holiday work hour restrictions, and in the end, our persistence and resolve paid off."

The contract includes the following provisions:

Wages
Wage and benefit package with raises that exceed Walgreens' new pharmacists contract

Legal and Educational Assistance
• 40 hours per year of free legal counsel, including real estate, wills and DUI, for all members
• Up to $10,000 of tuition reimbursement per year for full-time students at accredited colleges for all members and their dependents

Working conditions
• Maintained nine-hour work day
• Maintained holiday work hour restrictions for all current employees
• Improved grievance procedure

Benefits
• Seniority preference for layoffs and filling of full-time positions
• Accelerated vacation schedule for part-time employees to match the full-time employee vacation schedule
• Vision Service Plan, an improvement over the previous Vision/Optical Plan
• Wage increase for sixth-year pharmacist interns

Teamsters Local 727 represents more than 6,000 men and women throughout Illinois and Indiana.

 

[Ackj]

9 hour work day? So that means you have to work 4 or 5 days per week. Why would you want to protect that?

Also, why does a union for CVS employees compare itself to a WAGs rph contract?

 

[BMBiology]

Kaiser pharmacists are union and they are the highest paid pharmacists in the industry.

 

[npage148]

Right, because 3 14 hours days with no breaks are a much better (and safer) alternative.

 

[BMBiology]

9 hour work day? So that means you have to work 4 or 5 days per week. Why would you want to protect that?

Also, why does a union for CVS employees compare itself to a WAGs rph contract?

Not only because some pharmacists cant do 13 hour shift but also because some retails are expecting their pharmacists to drive an hour to work and only give them 4 hours a day.

 

[owlegrad]

Kaiser pharmacists are union and they are the highest paid pharmacists in the industry.

Interesting but what I am really curious about is if the union CVS pharmacists get better wages/benefits/conditions than non-union pharmacists at CVS. I don't want to call an apple an orange, ya'know?

If you want 9 hour work days I guess you can say they have better conditions but the rest of that list doesn't really impress me. Tuition reimbursement for dependents is pretty cool too.

 

[Ackj]

Right, because 3 14 hours days with no breaks are a much better (and safer) alternative.

No breaks is a separate issue. Commuting 5x per week is worse than 3. The difference between an 8 hour day and 12 hours is minimal, at least in my opinion.

Not only because some pharmacists cant do 13 hour shift but also because some retails are expecting their pharmacists to drive an hour to work and only give them 4 hours a day.

Now a 9 hr minimum is something I can agree with. That would completely blow if you're floating, or on call, and have to drive all the way for a 4 hr shift.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

According to the video, 9 hours was the max they could MAKE YOU work. If you wanted to work 14 hour shifts and CVS also wanted it, it could be done.

The dude on the right in the video has one awesome zombie stare going. Nice to know this is an option if CVS starts acting a bunch of fools. My current boss is actually pretty decent, so I have no complaints currently.

 

[Angela1234]

Interesting video. Are the pharmacists guaranteed a lunch break? Do you think they will have some unions in other parts of the country?

 

[npage148]

No breaks is a separate issue. Commuting 5x per week is worse than 3. The difference between an 8 hour day and 12 hours is minimal, at least in my opinion.


Now a 9 hr minimum is something I can agree with. That would completely blow if you're floating, or on call, and have to drive all the way for a 4 hr shift.

Have you actually worked as a pharmacist? I'd be fine commuting 5x a week, my commute is 1.5 miles. I'd date a 5 day work week with 8-9 hours max in a heartbeat for what I have now, 13 hour days

 

[BenJammin]

According to the video, 9 hours was the max they could MAKE YOU work. If you wanted to work 14 hour shifts and CVS also wanted it, it could be done.

The dude on the right in the video has one awesome zombie stare going. Nice to know this is an option if CVS starts acting a bunch of fools. My current boss is actually pretty decent, so I have no complaints currently.

Until the union bosses pull you into their office and tell you to quit undermining the other employees. That's how they work. There cannot be reward for being a good employee in a union...that's the purpose.

 

[wucool33]

SoCal is unionized also... But they don't really do much besides collecting money. Actually I think I'd be better off right now if I wasn't in the union.

 

[Pharmavixen]

I've been in a union x 17 years, and the experience is mixed. On the one hand, my government job pays comparable to private sector non-union, and the benefits are much better: extended medical coverage includes prescription drugs, custom orthotics, shiatsu massage, and a semi-private room if hospitalized. You can't be randomly fired because the boss wants to hire his kid. And union dues are tax deductible.

OTOH, the union can be a tool in the hands of incompetent employees with a sociopathic bent to abuse and bully coworkers. My union makes a point of vigorously defending the most egregiously dangerous incompetent/nasty/crazy people as a demonstration of their power in the workplace.

Overall, I prefer the protection of a union. But they really get up my nose sometimes.