CVS announces mass layoffs related to Aetna building in Hartford

HARTFORD, CT – CVS Health announced layoffs of more than 400 employees related to Aetna’s headquarters in Hartford over the weekend. Almost 100 are directly linked to the state, the company said.

A Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act announcing the move was released to state and city officials on Sunday.

“We are writing to inform you that CVS Health will be conducting a mass layoff at its facility at 151 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut. This action is expected to be permanent,” the WARN notice states.

According to WARN documents, layoffs will be implemented over a 14-day period from Dec. 8 to Dec. 21.

A total of 416 employees will be laid off, 93 of whom are directly attached to the building at 151 Farmington Ave. are under investigation, officials said. The remaining 323 jobs, according to the alert, will be filled by “outsourced/remote employees” who “report to the facility” and are spread across the country.

All affected employees have been notified, according to the WARN notice.

There are no “bumping rights” for the affected employees and the employees are not represented by a union, the WARN notice states.

Sunday’s WARN filing follows a Sept. 30 announcement from CVS that it would reduce its workforce by 2,900. CVS officials said the strategy is to save $2 billion by “cutting costs and investing in technology to improve the way we work.” In their most recent quarterly report, CVS officials said same-store sales for nonprescription products fell 4 percent.