Workers at Selected Costco Places prepare to strike with midnight contract deadline for trouble
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Workers at Selected Costco Places prepare to strike with midnight contract deadline for trouble

Thousands of Costco workers prepared to beat with a midnight deadline as they approach Friday while the Workers’ Union and the company negotiated.

Teamster’s Union represents 18,000 Costco workers in six states: California, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and New York, plus a distribution in Washington State where about 150 drivers near Tacoma organized with Teamsters last year.

It is unclear if the strikes would close stores. Costco has 219,000 US employees and 617 US stores. The company said that its employment contracts with Teamsters apply less than 10% of these stores.

While Oregon and Southwest Washington stores are not under the Teamsters contract, a strike that includes Sumner, Washington, distribution center drivers can affect product availability in the northwest.

On January 20, Teamster’s members at Costco voted overwhelming in favor of a strike if a new three -year contract agreement was not reached at midnight Friday, when the current contract expires.

The Union members say that Issaquah, Washington, the company must make a contract offer that reflects its sales and profit growth. Costco’s revenue increased by $ 5% to $ 254 billion during the last financial year, which ended September. The company reported a net profit of $ 7.36 billion, double its profit in 2019.

“Costco has two choices: respect the workers who made them a success or meet a national strike,” said Teamster’s general President Sean O’Brien in a statement. “Costco Teamsters deserves an industry -leading contract that reflects the company’s huge profits. If Costco believes they can use our members while shaking billions, we close them. “

Costco said in a statement that it has had a good relationship with the Union for several decades and negotiates in good faith.

“We have always treated our employees fairly and well throughout our company’s history,” Costco said.

-Dee-Ann Durbin, The Associated Press

Elliot Njuus from Oregonian/Oregonlive contributed to this report.