WORKERS at seven CVS pharmacies in southern California have begun strike action for better pay and healthcare and in protest at what they say is bad-faith contract bargaining by the company.

The walkout, which affected four shops in Los Angeles and three in Orange County, began on Friday morning and continued into the weekend. 

On Saturday, strikers outside one of the Los Angeles stores urged customers not to cross their picket line.

Pharmacy technician Melissa Acosta, who is on the contract bargaining committee, accused the company of “intimidating workers, observing them, getting in the way of them speaking to union representatives.”

Workers plan to continue picketing until negotiations resume on Wednesday. The strike was authorised on September 29 by a vote of the two United Food and Commercial Workers local branches involved, with more than 90 per cent in favour.

Company spokesperson Amy Thibault said that CVS had made progress on getting to a final contract and reached “tentative agreements” to raise pay and increase the firm’s health insurance contributions.

Striking technician Carlos Alfaro said shops were understaffed at the start of the flu season.

“We have to call [patients] constantly to get flu shots, push vaccines.

“This is a lot of extra work we’re expected to do, on top of filling medications at the pharmacy.”