Unions oppose Rite Aid's acquisition of Eckerd/Brooks

Officials and activists from 1199SEIU (Service Employees International Union) and the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) recently demonstrated their opposition to Rite Aid's pending acquisition of the Eckerd and Brooks drugstores at the Boston Convention Center, where NACDS held its annual pharmacy conference, and at the Baltimore Convention Center, where Rite Aid held its annual management seminar and trade show. Denise Devlin, spokeswoman for 1199SEIU, said, "Eckerd pharmacists have told 1199SEIU that beginning next year, they will no longer have paid sick days. 1199SEIU represents 5,500 Rite Aid workers, pharmacists, technicians, cashiers, and others at more than 300 stores in Metropolitan New York and northern New Jersey. It represents 1,000 pharmacists. Eckerd/Brooks workers have no union representation." Commenting on the demonstration, Rite Aid spokeswoman Jody Cook said, "1199 wants to represent our newest Rite Aid associates at 181 Eckerd stores in New York and New Jersey without the associates exercising their legal right to choose whether they want union representation. The demonstration is about trying to pressure Rite Aid to voluntarily make the decision for those associates so the union can get more members and can collect more dues. The associates at the store have not chosen union representation. We do not want to force that upon them."

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