Teamsters Fight for Fair Agreement as
January 31 Bargaining Deadline
Looms
LONG ISLAND, N.Y.,
Jan. 15,
2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Teamsters General President
Sean M. O'Brien, General
Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman,
Teamsters Warehouse Division Director Tom
Erickson, and hundreds of Costco Teamsters rallied and
engaged in a practice picket in Long Island, N.Y., as the final
week of bargaining with the wholesale giant approaches.
"We are going to win the strongest collective bargaining
agreement in the history of Costco," O'Brien said. "Our members
deserve nothing less. If we don't have an acceptable contract by
January 31, this company will face
the full force of the Teamsters Union. Costco has two weeks to come
to the table with a contract offer that honors the hard work and
dedication of our members — or they will suffer the consequences of
their inaction. If Costco fails to deliver, they'll be striking
themselves."
The last round of negotiations begins Monday near Costco's
corporate headquarters in Issaquah,
Washington. Costco Teamsters are demanding the strongest
possible contract and are prepared to strike to secure it. The
Costco Teamsters National Master Agreement expires on January 31, protecting more than 18,000
Teamsters.
"Today, Costco is a massive, multibillion-dollar corporation —
one of the largest in the Fortune 500," Zuckerman said. "And like
too many companies, they're putting profits over people. The
Teamsters will not stand for it."
Costco recently announced annual revenue of $254 billion and net profits of $7.4 billion — a 135 percent increase from
$3.1 billion in 2018. Despite the
record gains, Costco has yet to match its workers' demands for fair
wages and benefits.
"If Costco fails to present an acceptable agreement — one that
reflects its record-breaking profits — we will hold them
accountable," Erickson said.
"We do not want to strike, but if Costco refuses to meet us at
the bargaining table with the respect we deserve, we are ready to
do whatever it takes," said Lance
Knowles, a Costco worker in New
York and a member of Local 210. "We will not back down. We
will not accept anything less than a contract that sets the
standard in the retail industry."
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters
represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto
Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information.
Follow us on X @Teamsters and on Facebook
at Facebook.com/teamsters
Contact:
Daniel Moskowitz, (770)
262-4971
dmoskowitz@teamster.org
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SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters
