Walmart is asking some of its 16,000 pharmacists across the U.S. to voluntarily take pay cuts and reduce their working hours in a bid to reduce costs, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Walmart also agreed in late 2022 to pay $3.1 billion as its share of an opioid-related legal settlement, which is adding to its legal costs this year.
For example, a pharmacist could go from an 80-hour, two-week pay period to one lasting 64 or 72 hours, the source said.
On average, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retail chain pays its pharmacists more than $140,000 a year, excluding bonuses and incentives, according to Walmart.
Earlier this year, Walmart scaled back the hours it operates its pharmacies by two hours at more than 4,500 U.S. stores, amid a shortage of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians that began during the pandemic.
Persons:
haven't, Davey Lavergne, Marilee McInnis, Michael Hogue
Organizations:
Walmart, Reuters, Health, Wellness, American Pharmacists Association
Locations:
Arkansas , Tennessee , Missouri , Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Bentonville , Arkansas, Washington