CVS Union Problem

[Pharmasee]

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So I have been working for CVS for the past month as a Pharmacy Service Associate and I get this letter that says I have to pay all this money for the Union.

Im sort of pissed about it because I dont know what type of benefits they offer and nobody discussed this stuff with me in ther interview.

Can somebody tell me should I quit and go to Walgreens or should I just pay?
What do I get out of this union stuff?

It adds up to over 400 a year, oh my God, I better get some good benefits out of this.

 

[steveysmith54]

pretend you didn't get anything and don't pay. 🙂

 

[dumbguy]

pretend you didn't get anything and don't pay. 🙂

union sucks really bad for clerks and technicians. They're mostly to benefit the pharmacists. They take out money from my paychecks every month and my benefits still suck. If you work part time, you end up on the far end of the losing side.

 

[Pharmasee]

Oh no, what do I do?

Should I work for Rite Aid or Walgreen?

Do they have Union as well?

I want to transfer to a CVS that isnt under Union but my store manager says that I can't. should I take this up with the District manager? My store manager said I can transfer to another store but not for the reason of not wanting to pay Union.

What should I do?

 

[anteater07]

I work for CVS and my brother works for Rite Aid...they are both under the same union. If you don't join the union, they can terminate you; I was told to immediately join the union after I was hired.

The union takes around $13 every week from my paycheck.

 

[Pharmasee]

What about Walgreens or Costco?

are they under the same union?

I am seriously considering joining Costco or Walgreens?

please tell me about them

 

[anteater07]

I'm not sure if Costco and Walgreens are in a union...

Did the union make you pay an initial fee? I just had them deduct $3 of my paycheck until that fee is paid.

 

[steveysmith54]

rite aid asks for 225 initiation fee. if u can't afford it, they want at least 75.

 

[anteater07]

rite aid asks for 225 initiation fee. if u can't afford it, they want at least 75.

Yeah, I think that's how much they wanted me to pay. Don't pay the fee at once...just have them deduct it slowly from your paycheck. The union's not that bad...

 

[PharmDstudent]

This is the weirdest thread ever! I've never been forced or even asked to join a union. Where do y'all live?
Geez, I thought I just had a job. Thankfully I wasn't paying alimony because of some marriage to a union???

 

[confettiflyer]

Your CVS store doesn't have the right to tell you that you can't go to another store for union purposes...assuming you are in an at-will employment state, you can leave for whatever reason you want.

Now...just say you moved and the other CVS location is closer to your home. Piece o' cake.

I'm at a non-union store...I'd actually like to go to a union store because of the health benefits (I'm currently uninsured). The threshold for coverage is like 24 hours vs 32 hours for non union.

 

[genesis09]

You can't get out of paying the union fees if you work for a union store. You can opt out of joining the union, but you stay have to pay. That is just the way the laws are written.

 

[Nerdd13]

how are you suppose to know if ur at a union store? i mean, i do not really want to ask my manager or anything and start something. but as cheap as cvs is paying all of us....its not right for them to make us join a union. i dont like this company anyways. im still here bc they work with my school sced. and no weekends. i only do 20 hrs wk.

can anyone explain more about how this union would work?

 

[azPharmD2B]

This is why I'll always live in a right to work state. Unions are a fraud. They claim to fight for the little guy, but they're no better than the company.

 

[DrugDealer]

Yes, where is this? I'm going to guess SoCal, in which case Rite-Aid is also union; I don't know about Walgreen's.

It is crappy that no one told you about this during your interview, but unfortunately, it's a common practice...because no one wants to start working once they know about the union....

 

[confettiflyer]

I think unions are outdated and need to go. They're for steel workers and auto factory workers, and they are fast disappearing in our changing economy.

 

[Farmercyst]

I'll just say this. I hate that unions in non-right-to-work states can force you to join. But at least my union allowed me $26/hr pay + benefits compared to non-union work of the same type (call-center) of $16.50/hr. For me it was worth $20/paycheck. Of course, techs make considerably less, and I don't see the advantage, but if you're in a compulsory union state, not much you can do outside of switching companies to a non-union outfit.

 

[yuyu]

Does anyone know where I can find a list of the unions and non union cvs pharmacies?

thx.

 

[ShadowRX]

ZOMG ZOMBIE!!!!

Work for Walgreens (if you can find a job... hiring freeze is on right now for techs).

Or Wal-Mart... or Target (I like Target's hours 😀)

 

[Tinkerbell22]

ZOMG ZOMBIE!!!!

Work for Walgreens (if you can find a job... hiring freeze is on right now for techs).

Or Wal-Mart... or Target (I like Target's hours 😀)

Walgreen's is actually asking some of their pharmacists to take a 'voluntary leave of absence" (unpaid) for up to one year as well.

 

[rxlea]

Another reason to like Arizona...

 

[AntonFreeman]

so I have ran into similar problems as op. Store is charging me about $180 for initiation fee and around 45 dollars per month. Would it be rude to ask district manager for a transfer to non union store? I just got hired like a month ago

 

[daabc]

Most people I know just quit when the union ask for large amounts of money (they makes mistakes about not collecting and then they come asking for $600). There really is no advantage to the union from what I can see. When they told us of all the benefits they negotiated for the contract, I did the math to check, and negotiator was really dumb. They negotiated a pay cut compared to the old contract and didn't realized it or it only benefits the people that has been there for years and is at the highest pay rate.

Anyways, you can transfer out to a non union store, but you still have to pay what you owe. To check for unions, just ask the store before you apply.

 

[zntfo]

I had the same experience and I HATE the stupid Union thing!

Yes you could opt out, but you still needed to pay the "Union fee" every week, although you might be able to pay less initiation fee.

And I believe as a PSA you can hardly get any benefit. The union claims that they will make sure you have a minimum hours per week on your paycheck. I was a union member for 2 months at a CVS, then my store's tech hours got cut in half. A full-time senior pharm tech's hours drop below 30/week, and the store did not have hour for me. Both of us contacted union but it didn't help. The senior pharm tech ended up working part-time and I ended up being transferred to another store.

The good thing is that the store I transferred to is not a union store!

So, if you can, transfer to a non-union store, or work at Walgreens. But if you can't find another job at this point and you are applying to pharmacy school, I suggest that you stay there for a while until you are able to find a better place. After all your work experience is very important when you apply for pharmacy school. 🙂

So I have been working for CVS for the past month as a Pharmacy Service Associate and I get this letter that says I have to pay all this money for the Union.

Im sort of pissed about it because I dont know what type of benefits they offer and nobody discussed this stuff with me in ther interview.

Can somebody tell me should I quit and go to Walgreens or should I just pay?
What do I get out of this union stuff?

It adds up to over 400 a year, oh my God, I better get some good benefits out of this.

 

[HAMMER77777]

union sucks really bad for clerks and technicians. They're mostly to benefit the pharmacists. They take out money from my paychecks every month and my benefits still suck. If you work PART TIME you end up on the far end of the losing side.

MAN YOURE WAY OFF..unions rule baby! i am a proud union member and really enjoy it

 

[HAMMER77777]

Oh no, what do I do?

Should I work for Rite Aid or Walgreen?

Do they have Union as well?

I want to transfer to a CVS that isnt under Union but my store manager says that I can't. should I take this up with the District manager? My store manager said I can transfer to another store but not for the reason of not wanting to pay Union.

What should I do?

what is a matter withyou people..you should be glad youre in a union..they are there to protect you..i am Blessed to have been in one

 

[charfdorn]

what is a matter withyou people..you should be glad youre in a union..they are there to protect you..i am Blessed to have been in one

Really? You joined this forum to post about how much you love your union? You must be one of those terrible employees that they can't fire because of the union.

 

[owlegrad]

what is a matter withyou people..you should be glad youre in a union..they are there to protect you..i am Blessed to have been in one

Care to elaborate?

 

[confettiflyer]

unions encourage laziness and, while they did help build the country in the early days, are the reason why we're losing competitive advantage to other countries.

See: GM, UAW, and its subsequent bankruptcy.


but eh, why am i even typing, no use arguing with a logic-less union shill. glad they're on their way out anyway, union membership is at an all time low and dropping fast.