More than 80 R.I. residents to lose jobs as part of CVS layoffs • Rhode Island Current

More than 600 employees who work out of CVS Health’s Woonsocket headquarters, including 80 state residents, will lose their jobs in December, according to a notice filed with the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training on Sunday, Oct. 6.

The local job cuts are part of mass layoffs affecting 2,900 employees nationwide, representing 1% of its total workforce, the company announced in September. The pharmacy giant’s board of directors has also discussed breaking up the company into separate retail and pharmacy units, amid ongoing financial pressures and changes to the health care landscape, as first reported by Reuters.

Since news broke last month, the pending layoffs sent alarm bells ringing across northern Rhode Island, where lawmakers worried about the impact for residents and the local economy. How deep the cuts would hit Rhode Island remained unclear, until now.

Federal law under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act requires companies to let state and town officials know about closures and mass layoffs at least 60 days in advance.

A majority of the 632 workers based out of CVS’ Woonsocket headquarters and surrounding campuses — 479 people — are remote employees, many of whom don’t actually live in Rhode Island, but are “assigned” to the facility, according to the letter from Erin Ridge, senior vice president of human resources. Roughly 80 Rhode Island residents, including in-person and remote workers, stand to lose their jobs with CVS as part of the pending layoffs, according to the letter.

As previously stated by the company, the cuts center on corporate-level positions, including a slew of Rhode Island-based executive directors for software development engineering, affirmative action, marketing, and pharmacy operations, among others. Front-line workers in pharmacies, retail stores and distribution centers are not affected.

Layoffs will take place over a 14-day period beginning Dec. 8, according to Ridge’s letter, which was sent to state officials along with the mayors of Cumberland and Woonsocket.

Woonsocket Mayor Christopher Beauchamp and Cumberland Mayor Jeff Mutter each did not immediately return inquiries for comment Monday morning.

Ahead of the letter, Rhode Island Rep. Stephen Casey, a Woonsocket Democrat, issued a statement on Friday, Oct. 4, stressing the need to offer services for residents who will lose their jobs.

“We are committed to ensuring that affected workers have access to retraining programs, job placement services and any available assistance throughout this challenging transition,” Casey said in a statement. “Our focus is on finding solutions that protect jobs in our state, support displaced workers and identify new opportunities for growth.”

Despite rumors of a company breakup, and potentially relocating headquarters out of Woonsocket, Casey said he was confident in state leaders’ economic strategy.

“Governor Dan McKee, Secretary Tanner, and the team at Commerce have been key in advancing policies that strengthen our business landscape,” Casey said. “I’m confident that working together, we will continue to maintain a strong business climate and position Rhode Island for continued success.”

CVS Health did not immediately return inquiries for comment Monday morning.

The layoffs come on the heels of news that Pawtucket-based toymaker and entertainment company Hasbro may be looking to relocate across state lines in Massachusetts. State and local officials have scrambled to convince the top employer to remain within the state, though little detail about the internal discussions has been shared publicly.