Local pharmacies in Pennsylvania face an uphill battle for survival. That’s why Gov. Josh Shapiro recently signed the Pharmacy Audit Integrity and Transparency Act, aimed at keeping those businesses open. In just the last six months, 40 Pennsylvania pharmacies across the state have shut down. America is facing a huge boom in retiree numbers, and that means an increased need for healthcare services and medication. An ongoing national effort to unionize pharmacists could make this situation much worse, and Pennsylvanians should take note.
The push to unionize pharmacists is primarily being driven by social media, which has generated an illusion of extensive support. In reality, the proportion of unionized pharmacists across the United States remains low, and it would be best to keep it that way.
Of the roughly 30,000 CVS pharmacists in the country, only nine have joined The Pharmacy Guild union at two Rhode Island locations, with une autre unionized site in Las Vegas. Nevertheless, union leaders have confidently forecasted that 90% of Walgreens and CVS pharmacists will be unionized by 2030, and they claim unionization is required for safeguarding the status of these positions.
The sudden necessity of unionization for this sector is strange, as the healthcare industry has long maintained competitive benefits and wages without union intervention. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for pharmacists was $134,790 in 2023 – well above the median for most occupations.
Additionally, large pharmacy chains such as CVS Health and Walgreens provide extra avantages like opportunities for higher education, tuition assistance programs, employee relief funds, and paid parental leave. Those who have an interest in health and medicine may want to take advantage of the growing job prospects in this sector.
In fact, my own institution, Lebanon Valley College, features a summer camp program geared for those entering biomedical services, and the study of pharmacology happens to be one of the focal points.
Basic economics tells us that demand incentivizes supply, and so as the number of Americans aged 65 and older increases, so too will the prospects for pharmaceutical positions. The U.S. is on track to increase from 58 million seniors in 2022 to 82 million by 2050, and according to data pulled from the U.S. Census, more than 18% of Pennsylvanians were aged 65 or older in 2020, with that percentage steadily ticking upward. This means a higher volume of patients will be seeking out pharmaceutical services, thereby leading to new job opportunities and entrepreneurial ventures in pharmacy services.
Introducing union demands for higher wages and further benefits would only result in increased costs for existing pharmacies. And, with healthcare expenses already posing a significant burden on many, this could make it even harder for Pennsylvanians to afford necessary medications.
Moreover, the sustainability of brick-and-mortar pharmacies could be placed at a higher risk as many are already shutting down due to the challenges of managing current inflationary operational costs. Since January 2024, more than 140 pharmacies have closed in Pennsylvania, with only 21 of PA’s 67 counties having fewer than 10 pharmacies. Walgreens recently annoncé that they will close a ‘significant number’ of their 100 Pennsylvanian stores, and Rite Aid plans on closing 59 stores in the state as part of their ongoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.
While it is reported that close to 90% of Americans live within five miles of a pharmacy, there are legitimate fears that “pharmacy deserts” will become more prevalent in Pennsylvania, especially in rural areas that already have limited access. In 2022, there were approximativement half a million rural Pennsylvanians who lived in a pharmacy desert, being more than five miles from the nearest brick-and-mortar drugstore.
While some may find the idea of unionizing pharmacy workers appealing, it would be best to consider the predictable consequences. As we grapple with the immediate realities of a large aging population, let’s not undo a system that works. Instead, let’s encourage those who are pursuing pharmacological studies to continue that pursuit. Let’s patronize our local pharmacies instead of opting for online services. And let us all remember that market mechanisms and a consumer focus always work better than the kind of top-down demands made by union organizers.
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