O'Brien, Rank-and-File Costco Teamsters
Mobilize at Wholesale Retailer
WASHINGTON, May 6, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Rank-and-file Costco Teamsters and General
President Sean M. O'Brien rallied
yesterday in Norfolk, Va., in
support of the union-wide initiative to organize and mobilize
workers at the wholesale retailer ahead of national contract
negotiations later this year.
"Costco workers in Norfolk
changed the game. Now, Teamsters across the country are standing
together to make Costco the 'good employer' it claims to be," said
Teamsters General President Sean M.
O'Brien. "Every Costco worker knows the corporate culture
has changed for the worst, and they know the only way we're going
to hold the company accountable is by becoming Teamsters. We will
mobilize, we will organize, and we will win. This is our company
now."
In December, Costco workers in Norfolk voted overwhelmingly to join Teamsters
Local 822, becoming the first group to unionize at the
Seattle-based company in more than
20 years.
"We are proud to have lit the spark right here in Norfolk. Costco workers nationwide saw what we
did here, and they want to follow our lead," said Fernando Pérez,
who launched the union drive last May after walking into Local
822's union hall and asking to speak with an organizer. "Our
momentum and solidarity can't be stopped. The needs of the workers
come first now. Costco doesn't run without us!"
Since the landmark victory in Norfolk, the Teamsters have launched a massive
organizing effort for Costco workers across the country. On
April 18, more than 150 Costco
drivers in Sumner, Wash., voted
overwhelmingly to join Teamsters Local 174 in Seattle, becoming the first group of workers
at a Costco Distribution Center to unionize.
"Costco workers across the country are rising up and taking
control of their future. They want the strength and respect that
comes with being a Teamster," said Tom
Erickson, Director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division and
Teamsters Central Region International Vice President. "Teamsters
have already made enormous gains at Costco. Our industry-leading
national contract set the tone, but we're just getting started. We
are stronger and better positioned to increase our organizing
momentum and collective bargaining strength in the year ahead. The
more Costco workers who become Teamsters, the greater our strength
at the table."
In October 2022, the Teamsters
ratified the first-ever national master agreement for Costco
workers. The national contract boosts wages and pension
contributions by the employer and provides members with higher
semi-annual bonuses and a more flexible attendance policy, among
other workplace protections and improvements.
Costco workers in Seattle and
Norfolk cited the national
contract and a changing corporate culture as the catalyst for
organizing with the Teamsters. The current national contract
expires January 31, 2025.
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
Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at
Facebook.com/teamsters.
Contact:
Daniel Moskowitz, (770)
262-4971
dmoskowitz@teamster.org
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SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters