Costco Workers May Strike on February 1

Imagine this: thousands of workers at Costco warehouses might walk off the job on February 1. Why? Because 18, 000 employees, part of the Teamsters union, have voted to authorize a strike. They're unhappy with Costco's response to their proposals on wages, benefits, and policies like seniority pay and family leave. The union says 85% of its members voted to strike if a deal isn't reached by January 31. This could be a big deal, as most retail workers in the US aren't unionized.

But wait, there's more. Costco hasn't commented on the strike vote yet. And these workers make up just 8% of Costco's US employees. It's interesting to compare this with the Amazon strike that happened just before Christmas. Unlike Costco, Amazon doesn't recognize the Teamsters union and didn't negotiate with strikers. Strike authorization votes are common, but they don't always lead to strikes. For example, in June 2023, 97% of Teamsters voted to strike at UPS, but a deal was reached before the deadline. So, will the Costco strike actually happen? Only time will tell.

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