Midnight strike looming for unionized Costco workers in Washington, five other states – KATU
Now 40 Sun 41 Mon 42KATU is declaring a Storm Tracker 2 Weather Alert for heavy snow in the Oregon and southwest Washington Cascades.by Barry Mangold, KATU StaffTOPICS:VANCOUVER, Wash. (KATU) — Thousands of unionized Costco workers are set to strike at midnight amid contract negotiations with the retail giant. The Teamsters union represents more than 18,000 Costco employees in the United States, which is less than 10% of the company’s international workforce. The unionized workers are located in Washington, California, New Jersey, New York, and Maryland.Matt McQuaid of Teamsters Costco told KATU that it’s “hard to predict” the impact a strike would have on the three southwest Washington locations, “but if every Costco driver in Washington State decides to go on strike … I imagine there will be problems.”KATU contacted Costco through its website and its corporate office on Friday afternoon and has not yet heard back. “Costco has two choices: respect the workers who made them a success or face a national strike,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien in a news release last week. “Costco Teamsters deserve an industry-leading contract that reflects the company’s massive profits.Bloomberg News reported Costco is raising hourly pay for most of its non-union locations to more than $30 an hour over the next three years. That applies to workers at the top of the company’s pay scale. Workers at the bottom will see raises of 50 cents to $20.
