Thousands of Costco workers across the United States could walk off the job as soon as Feb. 1 if contract talks fail to produce a new agreement, according to the Teamsters union. The union said 18,000 Costco employees have voted by an 85 per cent margin to authorize a strike as the current contract nears its Jan. 31 expiration date.
“Our members have spoken loud and clear — Costco must deliver a fair contract, or they’ll be held accountable,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “From day one, we’ve told Costco that our members won’t work a day past January 31 without a historic, industry-leading agreement. Costco’s greedy executives have less than two weeks to do the right thing. If they refuse, they’ll have no one to blame but themselves when our members go on strike,” he said.
Union officials said the company’s refusal to present a contract that acknowledges its record profits prompted the strike vote. Tom Erickson, Director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division, said the action reflects members’ frustration with the bargaining process. “This strike vote is a direct response to Costco’s greed and blatant disregard for the bargaining process,” he said. “Costco claims to treat workers better than the competition, but right now, it’s failing to live up to that reputation.”
The union said workers last week held practice pickets in Hayward, Calif., Sumner, Wash., Long Island, N.Y., and San Diego as part of a nationwide effort to prepare for a potential strike. According to Teamster officials, Costco recently reported $254 billion in annual revenue and $7.4 billion in net profits, marking a 135 per cent increase since 2018.
“We are the backbone of Costco,” said Bryan Fields, a Costco employee in Baltimore and member of Teamsters Local 570. “We drive its success and generate its profits. We hope the company will step up and do right by us, but if they don’t, that’s on them. The company will be striking itself,” he said.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million workers in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, the union said.
