Costco Teamsters plan strike over fair contract demands as company profits rise

The Teamsters union said more than 18,000 Costo workers are set to strike: “The vote is a direct result of the company’s continued failure to bargain constructively and refusal to present a fair contract offer that reflects the company’s record-breaking profits.” File/Getty

Teamsters union members authorized a strike against Costco for Feb. 1 unless a deal is reached with the retailer before the current contract expires on Jan. 31.

“The vote is a direct result of the company’s continued failure to bargain constructively and refusal to present a fair contract offer that reflects the company’s record-breaking profits,” the union said, adding that more than 18,000 Costo workers are set to strike.

Tom Erickson, director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division, cites “greed” and “blatant disregard for the bargaining process” as reasons for the strike.

Despite reporting $245 billion in annual revenue and $7.4 billion in net profits, according to the union, demands for fair wages and benefits have failed to be met.

Just before Christmas, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters staged a strike at Amazon in an effort to pressure the e-commerce company for a labor agreement.

However, Amazon said the delivery drivers, which the Teamsters have organized for more than a year, are not its employees.

Under its business model, the drivers work for third-party business, called Delivery Service Partners, who drop off millions of packages to customers everyday.

Last week, hundreds of Teamsters nationwide organized practice pickets from Hayward, California, to Sumner, Washington, and Long Island, New York.

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