This January, Rite Aid and Walgreens expect to finalize their merger, making Walgreens the largest retail pharmacy chain in the world. This could hurt consumers and working New Yorkers by driving up prescription pricing and stopping competition in the market.

To finalize the merger, Rite Aid is trying to sell some stores to Fred’s, a southern chain that is much smaller and weaker financially than both Walgreens and Rite Aid. According to Bloomberg News, some FTC officials “are concerned that this sale doesn’t go far enough to preserve competition.”

Sales of this nature have proven catastrophic for communities in the recent past. In 2015, supermarket chains Albertson’s and Safeway merged, and divested 168 stores to Haggen Holdings, a small chain in the Northwest. This quickly lead to Haggen’s filing for bankruptcy, as well as numerous store closures and job losses.

CALL THE FTC and tell them that this merger is bad for our city! (877) 382-4357

BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE PHARMACY WORKERS OF 1199SEIU UNITED HEALTHCARE WORKERS EAST