Thousands of Costco workers set to strike if contract talks fail

Thousands of Costco workers in the United States are set to organize a nationwide strike if negotiations over a new contract fail to reach an agreement. 

The Teamsters union, representing more than 18,000 Costco employees, recently announced that 85% of its members voted in favor of strike action if a new contract is not finalized before the current agreement expires, which is on January 31, as per CNBC.

The union also condemned Costco for failing to engage in constructive bargaining, accusing the retailer of prioritizing profits over fair wages and employee benefits. “Costco’s greedy executives have less than two weeks to do the right thing,” Teamsters general president Sean M O’Brien said in a statement issued on X. “If they refuse, they’ll have no one to blame but themselves when our members go on strike,” he warned.

The union further stated that the retail giant has denied multiple proposals addressing paid family leave, sick leave, bereavement policies, and protections against surveillance.

“This strike vote is a direct response to Costco’s greed and blatant disregard for the bargaining process,” Tom Erickson, director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division, said in a statement. “Costco claims to treat workers better than the competition, but right now, it’s failing to live up to that reputation. Management has less than two weeks to fix this — if they don’t, they’ll face the consequences.”

Union members have been holding practice rallies across cities, including San Diego and Long Island, New York, to indicate their readiness to strike if negotiations fail to reach a conclusion.

A potential strike could hamper day-to-day operations at over 50 Costco stores across six states, impacting thousands of customers.

Teamsters, which represent about 8% of Costco’s  2,19,000-strong workforce, are in the final week of negotiations with the retail giant. 

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