Thousands of Costco workers prepare to strike with midnight contract deadline looming
A worker collects shopping carts in front of a Costco warehouse on July 16, 2024, in Sheridan, Colo. Associated Press
Thousands of Costco workers prepared to strike with a midnight deadline drawing closer Friday while the worker's union and the company negotiated.
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.