Hosted by Webster’s School of Business & Technology
By Meliqueica Meadows
Of the St. Louis American
Walgreens President and CEO Jeffrey Rein spoke last Thursday evening to an intimate crowd at Webster University. The event was a prescheduled speaking engagement not connected to the recent U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit filed against the company.
The event was hosted by Dr. Benjamin Akande, dean of the School of Business & Technology at Webster University.
Rein described his rapidly expanding company, which will hire 800 new managers and open 500 stores next year alone. Walgreens will also hire 100 new district managers in the next 1,000 days.
“That’s a lot of promotions,” Rein said.
Rein said the company is “doing a lot more external promoting, particularly folks with college degrees.”
“They are able to come into retail and learn more quickly,” Rein said. And for current employees Rein said the company is “using online training internally.”
“We are the No. 1 retailer in the African-American community,” Rein said. “No one has made the commitment we’ve made to the African-American community to go in and build in the community.”
But it hasn’t all been roses for the ever-expanding company. On March 7 the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a lawsuit on behalf of African-American workers claiming that the Illinois-based national drugstore chain does not provide opportunities for promotion for black managers and pharmacists.
At the Webster University event, Rein said the suit was unfair and directed further questions to Michael Polzin, spokesman for Walgreens.
“We have thoroughly looked at the issues raised in the EEOC’s lawsuit. We feel the allegations are without merit,” said Polzin.
“We have a history of fairness, diversity and opportunity.”
He said Walgreens is “disappointed by the EEOC’s decision to go ahead with the suit.”
“Walgreens remains committed to providing opportunities for all of our employees not only because it is the right thing to do but because our business was built on it,” Polzin said.
According to Polzin, Walgreens is the best represented retailer in Urban areas.
“Among store and district managers, 17 percent are African-American compared to the industry average of 9 percent,” Polzin said. “And among pharmacists, 15 percent are African-American compared to the industry average of 10 percent.”
The EEOC suit alleges that the company is racially discriminatory in the assignment of African-American managers, pharmacists and management trainees. The plaintiffs claim that African Americans are regularly assigned to low-performing stores and stores in African-American communities based solely on their race. The EEOC suit also alleges that Walgreens denies promotional opportunities to managers and professionals based on race, which, if true, would be a violation of federal law.
Workers from the St. Louis area are included in the class-action suit, and other alleged incidents took place in Florida, Kansas City and Detroit. After more than 20 current and former Walgreens employees nationwide complained to the EEOC, both the St. Louis and Miami district offices began an investigation.
Johnny Tucker, a St. Louis plaintiff, alleges that Walgreens’ practices “hinder qualified African Americans in their pursuit of advancement through promotions and job assignments.”
The EEOC is seeking back pay, compensatory and punitive damages according to EEOC St. Louis Regional Attorney Robert G. Johnson. The Commission is also seeking injunctive relief for the class of aggrieved workers.
In June 2005, a group of current and former African American managers filed a private lawsuit making similar allegations. That lawsuit is in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois and the plaintiffs have asked the court to certify it as a class action.
The EEOC added that it would ask the courts to consolidate the two lawsuits.
The class action comes just as the EEOC has launched its E-RACE campaign “to root out racial bias by focusing on emerging race and color issues in workplaces.”
E-RACE (Eradicating Racism and Colorism from Employment) targets systemic patterns of discrimination.
