Union workers at Costco Wholesale locations around the U.S. have voted to authorize a strike.
The Teamsters union represents more than 18,000 Costco employees nationally.
The union said more than 85% of its members voted in favor of hitting the picket lines, should a new contract deal not come to fruition by the end of the month.
“Our members have spoken loud and clear — Costco must deliver a fair contract, or they’ll be held accountable,” said Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien, in a news release. “From day one, we’ve told Costco that our members won’t work a day past January 31 without a historic, industry-leading agreement.”
O’Brien continued, “Costco’s greedy executives have less than two weeks to do the right thing. If they refuse, they’ll have no one to blame but themselves when our members go on strike.”
Costco has several locations in the 69 News viewing area, including Lower Macungie Township, which opened in 2016 at the Hamilton Crossings shopping center. It was the first- and so far, the only- Costco location in the Lehigh Valley.
Other Costco locations in the region include Pottstown and Flemington.
Last week, hundreds of Costco Teamsters organized practice pickets in California, Washington, and New York in preparation for a potential strike.
According to the union, Costco recently reported $254 billion in annual revenue and $7.4 billion in net profits — a 135 percent increase since 2018.
Costco has not issued an official response to the potential strike.