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The
Teamsters union represents 18,000 Costco workers in six states:
California, Washington, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and New
York.
It's unclear if the strikes would close stores. Costco has
219,000 U.S. employees and 617 U.S. stores. The company said its
labor agreement with the Teamsters applies to less than 10% of
those stores.
On Jan. 20, Teamsters members at Costco voted overwhelmingly in
favor of a strike if a new three-year contract agreement wasn't
reached by midnight Friday, when the current contract expires.
Union members say the Issaquah, Washington, company needs to
make a contract offer that reflects its sales and profit growth.
Costco's revenue rose 5% to $254 billion in its most recent
fiscal year, which ended Sept. 1. The company reported net
income of $7.36 billion, double its profit in 2019.
"Costco has two choices: respect the workers who made them a
success or face a national strike,” Teamsters General President
Sean O’Brien said in a statement. “Costco Teamsters deserve an
industry-leading contract that reflects the company’s massive
profits. If Costco thinks they can exploit our members while
raking in billions, we’ll shut them down.”
Costco said in a statement that it has had a good relationship
with the union for several decades and is negotiating in good
faith.
“We have always treated our employees fairly and well throughout
the history of our company,” Costco said.
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