Listen to this articleThe International Brotherhood of Teamsters executives and members of three Teamsters locals will hold a practice picket at a Long Island Costco store and a rally at one of its locals Wednesday in advance of a looming contract expiration.
Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien, Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman, Teamsters Warehouse Division Director Tom Erickson and members of Teamsters Locals 210, 570, and 822 will “practice picket” at 11 a.m. at the Costco store at 1250 Old Country Road in Westbury and hold an afternoon rally at Local 282 headquarters at 2500 Marcus Ave. in New Hyde Park, according to a Teamsters advisory.
The Costco Teamsters National Master Agreement, which expires on Jan. 31, covers more than 18,000 workers nationwide. The union says it has submitted what it calls a “comprehensive economic proposal” reflecting the retail giant’s 135% increase in profits, but the Teamsters contend that Costco’s proposed deal doesn’t include a fair wage increase or improvements to retirement benefits, according to published reports.
The union says Costco “abruptly ended” collective bargaining negotiations last week, though talks are scheduled to resume Thursday.
“Our national negotiating committee is fully committed to securing an agreement with Costco, but the company has shown little interest in working constructively to reach a fair deal,” O’Brien said in a written statement. “In the middle of a workday, Costco walked away from the bargaining table. With less than a month until the contract expires, the company should be working overtime to reach a fair agreement — not walking away from negotiations.”
Costco has yet to be reached for comment.
Last year, Costco recorded $254 billion in revenue and over $7.4 billion in net profit, a $6.3 billion year-over-year increase and a 135% increase from $3.1 billion in 2018, according to the union. In December alone, Costco reported net sales of $27.52 billion, a 9.9% year-over-year increase.