Recent UFCW Legislative Victories

Professional pharmacists and patient advocates celebrated the implementation of Senate Bill 362 this year, ending the unsafe industry practice of sales quotas or performance-based metrics that interfere with the professional judgment of pharmacists.

“California’s UFCW members applaud the Governor for signing SB 362 into law, ensuring pharmacists, and all pharmacy staff, are not subject to corporate-imposed quotas that divert their attention away from their number one priority: to keep patients safe,” said John Nunes, President, UFCW Local 5. “Now when they go into work, they can put patients first and not worry about losing their job if they don’t meet an arbitrary quota only designed to drive profits. UFCW was proud to sponsor this bill and especially thank Senator Josh Newman for authoring this life-saving public health legislation.”

An exposé earlier this year by NBC News shows just how overwhelmed pharmacists are with their miles- long to-do lists: “From 12-hour shifts so busy they don’t have time to go to the bathroom or eat to crying in their cars every day after work or lying awake at night worrying about mistakes they might have made while rushing, they described an industry of health care professionals at the breaking point.” The piece also details how the practice of using quotas to boost profits takes a toll on pharmacists: “Basically, your day is timed out by the minute — it’s like the worst case of micromanaging you can imagine…’’

The California Pharmacists Association was a co-sponsor of SB 362 along with UFCW Western States Council.

“CPhA is proud to sponsor this bill with UFCW,” said Richard H. Dang, President, California Pharmacists Association. “We know that by working together, we will provide better working conditions for pharmacists and technicians, which benefits the patients for whom we are committed to providing quality care. We need to continue to remove corporate interference from the delivery of patient care.”