Express Scripts Threatens To Close Pennsylvania Plant Destroying Hundreds Of Jobs

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/node/14282

Submitted by Doug Cunningham on October 13, 2010 - 3:45pm
Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly versionSend to friendSend to friend

By Doug Cunningham

Express Scripts, a highly profitable mail-order pharmacy benefits company, is closing a facility in Pennsylvania wiping out 650 jobs. October 7th it threatened to close another Pennsylvania plant, destroying 350 jobs. Matt Richards is Communications Director with SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania.

: “It’s totally outrageous that a company that’s as profitable as Express Scripts – you, know that make $550 million in profit in just six months out of a year – can basically just unilaterally decide to throw out 350 of its most productive workers out on the street and using the recession as an excuse to do so. It’s outrageous.”

Express Scripts is closing these plants despite millions of dollars of concessions workers there have already given. Richards sys SEIU will do all it can to fight the plant closings.

: “We are planning on fighting the closure tooth and nail. We have already been to St. Louis. We’ve taken workers there to the headquarters to fight this closure and we’re takin’ folks to Washington D.C. to talk to members of Congress that have relationships with this employer. And we’re gonna continue to fight until, until there’s nothing left to do.”

[Hannah Bell]

1. knr

[Sherman A1]

2. K&R

This is absurd... not surprising, but absurd.

[1776Forever]

3. Here's another article on it - Express Scripts to lay off 500 workers

Express Scripts to lay off 500 workers
Friday, October 8, 2010
St. Louis Business Journal - by Kelsey Volkmann

http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2010/10/04/daily47.html


Express Scripts said Thursday it plans to shut down its dispensing pharmacy facility in Bensalem, Pa., on Dec. 16 and lay off 365 employees. The company also plans to consolidate and outsource some call center functions in Ohio and Minnesota, affecting 138 more workers.

The company said it requested negotiations with the Service Employees International Union Local 1199P regarding severance benefits for the affected workers.,,,

Stephanie Haynes, a vice oresident of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, which represents 860 workers at Express Scripts' two plants in Bensalem, Pa., outside Philadelphia, said the union would fight this closure tooth and nail.

Express Scripts' "plan to lay off their most seasoned workforce and move 80,000 prescriptions a day from their largest, most productive site to a pilot pharmacy that is in research and development stage is a reckless, short-sighted decision that will likely severely disrupt prescription services to hundreds of thousands of patients," she said. Making this move 15 days before Jan. 1, 2011, when over 130 new clients are coming on board including several extremely large accounts, such as Federal Express, is suicide."

Read more: Express Scripts to lay off 500 workers - St. Louis Business Journal

[Klukie]

4. A giant kick and Rec

When will these companies be held to account to honor their duty to this country? I just don't get it...Just as the worker has obligation to their employer... the Employer needs to have an obligation to their employees!!! They have a huge profit margin for chrissakes!!!

[SocialistLez]

5. Greedy SOBs

When will it end?