Hourly employees at Walgreens are facing a tough new policy. The company will no longer offer paid time off for six of the country’s most widely recognized holidays unless staff members physically report to work.
Bloomberg confirmed that the impacted holidays include Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day. Previously, hourly staff who met company criteria received holiday pay even if they weren’t scheduled to work.
The change was quietly communicated to employees in October, just weeks after Walgreens was acquired by private equity firm Sycamore Partners. While Walgreens has not publicly addressed the policy shift, it comes during a broader effort to restructure operations.
The move also follows other cost-cutting decisions by the retail pharmacy giant. In 2024, Walgreens announced plans to shutter 1,200 stores across the U.S. Most recently, 80 corporate workers were let go, further signaling internal changes post-acquisition.
For now, if hourly workers want holiday pay, they’ll have to work the actual holiday. Walgreens has not issued a statement in response to media inquiries.
