Costco workers represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters reached a tentative agreement with the wholesaler Saturday. The new contract now goes to members for a vote.
The Teamsters announced on X that the Costco Teamsters National Negotiating Committee and the company had reached terms, adding that more details will be released later.
The union represents 18,000 Costco employees. Only some Costco locations in California, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and the District of Columbia have unionized, less than 10% of its 617 U.S. stores, Costco told The Associated Press.
The workers had voted to strike Friday following the expiration of the union’s previous three-year agreement with Costco.
“Our members have spoken loud and clear — Costco must deliver a fair contract or they’ll be held accountable. From Day 1, we’ve told Costco that our members won’t work a day past Jan. 31 without a historic, industry-leading agreement,” Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien said in a release from the union on Jan. 20.
Ahead of the strike deadline, the wholesaler announced pay increases at both ends of its wage scale for nonunion employees in an internal memo.
Top-end earners will get a $1 pay increase to $30.20 per hour and will see another $1 hourly wage increase the next two years, while people at the bottom of the scale will get a 50 cent increase to $20 per hour, according to Bloomberg.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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