A CVS Health pharmacy in Las Vegas has become the first to join the new National Pharmacy Alliance

A CVS Omicare Pharmacy in Las Vegas becomes the first location to add a new National Federation of Pharmacy as a milestone as organizers try to help thousands of US pharmacy workers with what they say are unsafe working conditions.

About 30 pharmacy employees at the CVS Omnicare Las Vegas location won the union election Thursday, 87% to 13% by a landslide. There pharmacists and pharmacy technicians fill prescriptions for seniors and other vulnerable patients in Nevada long-term care facilities.

These workers now join the Pharmacy Association, which will represent them in labor negotiations with CVS.

“We will fight hard to get the best deal in the industry for these people who trust our union to represent them,” said Community Pharmacist and Partner Shane Jerominski. This is a historic win and a very decisive win,” said Shane Jeromyn, Community Pharmacist and partner Shane Jerominski. The founder of Pharmacy Guild told CNBC.

Jerominski and other organizers of the latest event called a nationwide strike by pharmacy workers working with IAM Healthcare, the union representing thousands of health care professionals, to walkout the Pharmacy Guild in November. That work stoppage in late October, organizers called “Pharmageddon,” and major drug stores like CVS Includes chain stores. Walgreens And manners and draw widespread media attention to issues of employee concern.

As with the strike, the pharmacy association aims to help pharmacy workers deal with what many employees say are unsafe staffing levels and increased workloads across the industry that put both staff and patients at risk. The association calls for legislative and regulatory changes to establish higher standards of pharmacy practice to protect patients.

Unionization efforts are the result of growing discontent among retail pharmacy workers, who often face understaffed teams and increased job expectations imposed by company management. The pandemic has exacerbated these problems, as new responsibilities such as testing and vaccinations burden pharmacists and technicians more urgently.

A CVS Health spokeswoman said in a statement that the company respects workers’ rights to join or not join a union, including the Omnicare Las Vegas workers’ decision to choose union representation. The company added that it will “work closely” with employees to address their current and future concerns and is “committed to providing a positive and nurturing work environment”.

Omnicare, which CVS acquired in 2015 and has about 10,000 stores, is not a public-facing pharmacy, unlike most drugstore chains. According to the CVS website, Omnicare pharmacies are located in 49 states.

But Jerominski said Omnicare and other pharmacies face similar problems, from staffing levels to low pay for technicians.

“This is not an issue specific to Omnicare, the issues they are reporting are the same issues I am hearing across the country. It’s prevalent in all the major chains,” Jerominski said. “You can only ask a company to support you for so long…that’s why the strike happened. They finally said ‘No, we’re going to get the help we asked for.'”

The pharmacy association will now work to secure a union contract with CVS to address the concerns of Omnicare workers in Las Vegas. Jerominski said these employees want flexible work schedules that allow pharmacy technicians to work 40 hours a week year-round.

“If you don’t guarantee 40 hours to employees who have skills and families, you can’t retain them, especially because of the workload,” Jerominski told CNBC.

The Pharmacy Guild sees dynamic building in other parts of the country. Pharmacy workers at two retail stores in Rhode Island have officially confirmed they have applied to join the guild, Jerominski said.

CVS is headquartered in the state.