Costco Teamsters Vote to Strike Without Fair Contract by January 31

The Facts -

Costco Workers Plan Strike Without Contract Agreement by End of January

Contact Information: Matt McQuaid - Phone: (617) 894-0669 - Email: mmcquaid@teamster.org

(WASHINGTON) – In a decisive move, Costco employees represented by the Teamsters have expressed their readiness to initiate a strike. With a resounding 85 percent of the membership voting in favor, the potential strike hinges on the absence of an acceptable contract from Costco. This contract, which involves over 18,000 employees, is set to expire on January 31.

Sean M. O’Brien, the Teamsters' General President, remarked, “Our members have spoken loud and clear — Costco must deliver a fair contract, or they’ll be held accountable. 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.”

Recently, preparatory actions for a strike have been conducted nationwide. Teamsters from Hayward, Calif., and Sumner, Wash. began practice pickets on Tuesday, while a demonstration was held on Long Island the following day. The activities continued through Thursday with a large turnout in San Diego.

Tom Erickson, Director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division, commented on the situation with concern: “This strike vote is a direct response to Costco’s greed and blatant disregard for the bargaining process. 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.”

Despite Costco’s significant financial growth, with $254 billion in revenue and $7.4 billion in net profit—a 135 percent increase since 2018—the company has yet to meet employee demands for wages and benefits that match its success.

According to Bryan Fields, a Costco employee from Baltimore and member of Teamsters Local 570, “We are the backbone of Costco. 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.”

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, established in 1903, represents 1.3 million members across the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. For more information, visit Teamster.org. Follow updates on X @Teamsters and like their page on Facebook.

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