By Elias Schisgall
Hundreds of workers at a CVS distribution center in Fredericksburg, Va., voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters said.
Upward of 500 drivers and warehouse workers, represented by Teamsters Local 592, authorized the strike in advance of their contract expiring on April 30. The union is demanding contract terms similar to those won by other Teamsters unions representing CVS workers across the country, it said.
A CVS Health spokesperson said that the company is in productive negotiations with the union, adding that CVS has "no reason to believe at this stage that these negotiations will not lead to an agreement.
"Unions often hold votes before negotiations to authorize a strike should negotiations break down," the spokesperson said. "Our goal is to reach an agreement that supports workplace safety and business success while providing competitive wages and benefits to our colleagues."
The union said CVS is proposing cuts to healthcare and other benefits.
"It is outrageous for a company built on health care to try to gut workers' health coverage," Local 592 President Jim Smith said. "CVS is choosing greed over its workforce. We will not accept a concessionary contract, and we will fight to protect every benefit our members have earned."
Workers at the distribution center supply CVS stores in the mid-Atlantic region, including in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., the union said, adding that a strike would disrupt those operations.
CVS said it has contingency plans to ensure stores and pharmacies continue to receive shipments in the event of a strike.
Write to Elias Schisgall at elias.schisgall@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
04-16-26 1308ET
