In a callous and devious attempt to force their ill-conceived will upon you, Rite Aid Management is trying to impose a far-inferior health plan on its employees in Northern California.

We don’t intend to let this happen.

Your Union has been bargaining in good faith with your employer, and we intend to continue bargaining to reach an acceptable settlement. We have met numerous times with their negotiators and offered responsible solutions.  Their action is illegal and in bad faith, and we will take the appropriate steps with the Federal Government necessary to protect your rights.  In addition, we will soon be sending you notice of dates of Union meetings to reject their outrageous proposal and authorize a strike should it become necessary.

Rite Aid’s letter to you dated December 20, 2019, ignores the fact they have failed to increase their contribution for over 12 years to fund your Union and employer directed health plan.  This letter came one day after Rite Aid announced its largest quarterly revenue gains in 10 years!

• Rite Aid’s plan eliminates healthcare coverage for new employees with less than 30 hours of work a week. This provision alone incentivizes your employer to hire MORE part-time workers, encouraging them to reduce the hours of existing employees.

• Rite Aid’s plan eliminates the Platinum Plan.

• All current retirees and future eligible retirees would no longer receive or be eligible for retiree healthcare.

• The company-controlled plan could be changed without your voice in the future.  This would allow Rite Aid to shift more of THEIR costs to YOU without you having a say and negating any wage increase you might receive.

• In addition, Rite Aid’s letter fails to provide additional funding to protect your pension, which other participating drug companies have agreed to.

During this time of the year, you should be thinking of the holidays and family. We understand that.  However, Rite Aid has forced upon you an insulting and outrageous proposal, creating this crisis out of a desire to wrench control of your health plan from you.  They have gone so far as to misinform and mislead you, to accomplish their goal.

A jointly-administered health plan with guaranteed benefits would help prevent “December surprises” like this from being forced on you by your employer.

To be clear, the Union’s proposal to keep your Union administered health plan will not cost Rite Aid more than it has said it is willing to pay.  Our most recent proposal was well within the monies Rite Aid has budgeted for the new collective bargaining agreement. 

Stay strong, stay informed and together we will prove SOLIDARITY WORKS!