For Immediate Use

Contact:  Chris Martin

media@illinoisnurses.com

630.670.2745

Walgreen’s Take Care Clinic Nurse Practitioners Approve Contract

Chicago—May 9, 2012-- Nurse practitioners at Walgreen’s Take Care Clinics this week approved, by a 3-to-1 margin, a contract offer from Walgreen’s.  The two parties had been working on a contract since August, 2011.

Take Care nurse practitioners had rejected Walgreen’s previous contract offer in early April but both sides returned to negotiations to work out final details.  Walgreen’s Take Care Clinic nurse practitioners are represented by the Illinois Nurses Association. 

“Negotiations were long and difficult and the team worked hard to get the contract resolved,” said Alice J. Johnson, INA labor attorney.  

The contract is three years in length and calls for increases of approximately 6% the first year, then 2.6% for the second and third year.  Additionally, nurses will receive retroactive pay back to September, 2011.

Nurse practitioners had sought INA representation in February of 2011 after the nurses said Walgreen’s had not addressed a number of workplace and benefit grievances.

 “The group told us that attempts to address their grievances directly with Take Care management through established channels were rebuffed and the nurse practitioners felt strongly that seeking representation from the INA was the best course of action to ensure safe working conditions and fair compensation,” Johnson said.

Nurse practitioners had voted on May 31, 2011 to form a union under the organization of the INA.  The National Labor Relations Board had cleared the way for this vote earlier in the Spring when they ruled in INA’s favor to include in the union 33 nurses with the Clinical Coordinate II title designation.

Take Care Health Systems is a wholly owned subsidiary of Walgreens (NYSE, NASDAQ: WAG) and part of Walgreens Health and Wellness division.  There are 350 Take Care Clinics around the country and 45 in Illinois that employ approximately 170 nurse practitioners.

According to the Illinois Society for Advanced Practice Nursing, a licensed nurse practitioner must have completed an accredited educational program with a master’s degree in nursing (MS or MSN) or doctorate degree in nursing (DNSc, DNP, or PhD) and be board certified.  

At Take Care Clinics, family nurse practitioners treat patients 18 months and older for common illnesses such as strep throat, ear and sinus infections, pink eye and poison ivy, and are licensed to write prescriptions that can be filled at the patient's pharmacy of choice. Take Care nurse practitioners also provide school, sports and camp physicals and offer vaccinations for flu, hepatitis B, meningitis and tetanus.

About INA

The Illinois Nurses Association is the pre-eminent voice for nurses in the state of Illinois. With over 100 years of exemplary service to our constituent members, the organization has consistently strived to address issues concerning nurses. The purpose of the Illinois Nurses Association (INA), the organization of registered professional nurses, is to:

• Improve health standards and influence the delivery of quality health care services for all people,
• Foster high standards for nursing practice,
• Stimulate and promote the professional development of nurses and advance their economic and general welfare.
• Empower nurses and influence health policy through political action.

To learn more about INA, visit: www.illinoisnurses.com or www.facebook.com/Illinoisnurses.