It was so weird and disappointing. Note that many if not most local shops did, though. It was the national that refused for some unfathomable reason. Shady, shady…
so far Costco has been doing the right thing, hopefully there will be no retribution for those wanting to join the unions, after all the unions will be instrumental in saving what's left of our democracy ad they are and will continue to be vast in numbers!!!
My Costco membership is due in Feb. Perfect timing.
I assume Costco will do right by it's workers, I've always heard they're a respectable company like that. $1.50 hot dog and soda deal, for fucks sake. Costco is supposed to be the good guy.
Well...people like my family who's income is heavily supported by Costco, and while we've seen major gains for their board and their shareholders, that windfall has been absent from the lives of their employees, who matter here way more than the Teamsters...
Another example of someone taking advantage, and this is the BLM movement. I don't know what acceptable looks like, just pretty good at knowing what isn't.
What, and I can't stress this enough, DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH COSTCO EMPLOYEES?!? This is beyond parody, it's just stupid. You quoted an article from 2022, having nothing to do with Costco, its employees or Teamsters...for what? For what reason? To distract from your thumb-like appearance?
I look more like an white avocado thank you very much. What I am saying is, I do not trust the teamsters, nor do I trust the boards. I certainly don't want a teamster that drives a convertible Bentley telling me he understands my situation.
You are right, and deserve it. Costco is one of those companies that many of us would love to work for. We need more unions, not less. I don't expect the Teamsters to be saints, just seems they are taking advantage of the situation. Do they take $8 while giving you $2? They don't show the math. Why?
Furthering unionization efforts etc. is good thing regardless of O'Brein or other teamsters leadership's tactics. I do not like him spending the election making deals with Trump either but I do like them pushing for improvements for union workers regardless of where they work
Have the teamsters asked the public to stop shopping at costco? or do they want business-as-usual to show how essential their members are? And is this starting now or on the 30th?
FTR, fuck Sean O'Brien but solidarity is solidarity
LoL
I was shocked reading this.
Costco! Company of DEI and one of the highest paying retail stores.
Leopards eating faces you say?
Just wait until my POTUS starts the tariffs!
I'll set up my own wholesale club with underpaid H1-B's!
If they do go out, and people can shop somewhere else for the time being, they are the problem.
From what I read, only 8% of their workforce is unionized, I was surprised at how low that number is.
No, only 8% of the workforce are Teamsters. This is specific to the Teamsters workers and they're pushing back on Costco's refusal to roll back DEI initiatives.
A quick note - which I was reminded of during the film industry strikes - that fewer people are in unions than before and that as a result people need more reminders of how unions work, why they work, and how to effectively support them.
If anyone has a more complete list, I'd be glad to see it.
And yet the President of the Teamsters union refused to take sides against Trump. The teamsters President showed up at trumps inauguration to kiss the ring! He is a sellout!!!
you can always temp switch pharmacies if there are other ones accessible to you, but medication and health is important so if you have no other option…
So one of the companies that is on the workers side decides to strike. From what I hear Costco has fare wages better make sure your on the right side If not Costco could get anti employee.
Ok except Costco is the one grocery thing that still does dei or whatever...
I won't scab. EVER. But I'm just pointing that out. You suppose the timing could be worse?
Remember when youtuber Established Context stated that Costco was doing capitalism done right? Boy, that video's gonna age poorly if this negotiation doesn't go through.
To be clear on this; this is to authorize a strike, not actually striking yet this is an extremely common bargaining tactic as part of the negotiating process is to show you mean business. Workers aren't on strike yet but if the agreement isn't reached on the 31st they will strike
I was raised in a union household. there's no way in hell I'll cross a picket line. Everyone needs to support their union neighbors, brothers and sisters. Coffee and doughnuts are a good support start.
This is a picket line I'd be inclined to cross. The Teamsters president spoke at the fucking RNC. This feels like him trying to tank Costco because of Costco's refusal to abandoned their DEI policies. I'm retired union, but I'm saying, with my whole chest, FUCK THE TEAMSTERS!!
Sean O's opinions and tactics hold no weight with me. I was part of Teamsters decades ago working for UPS and I'm very pro-union most of the time. But this feels like retaliation for Costco's DEI policies. Especially given his support of the diaper fire in office.
Yeah, where I live, Costco pays better than any other similar business. They pay more than the average wage at my employer. I'm going to skip over that line.
Lots of individual members and local chapters of the teamsters disagreed with the national organizations moves during the last election cycle. You're not hurting the president of the teamsters with this attitude. You're hurting the union members themselves
Also, they made a very strong stand against giving their employees raises that even kept up with inflation, but yeah DEI is what's going on here, not the very real issue of corporate greed...
I will continue to shop at Costco. Every employee I interact with at “my” Costco says it is a great place to work. The employees are treated with respect and fairly. In addition, during Covid, Costco had special senior hours and it wasn’t just pretense…store fully stocked!
This isn't store employees, it's the teamsters, the truck drivers. You can still shop at Costco, but what it means is that the deliveries will be affected. I've already seen it in our local Costco as I am a personal shopper for people there.
These are unionized store employees who are Teamsters--not just truck drivers, though only 8% of Costco stores (mostly in California and New York from what I could find) are unionized. The Teamsters represent many many people who are not truck drivers.
Why truck drivers? I know there a number of MAGAs among them but the teamsters are comprised of delivery drivers as well. They take in a whole rang of job classifications. These truck drivers are exclusively employed by Costco. I just find the timing of it suspicious.
Shopping at Costco is crossing the picket line. You are actively the problem if you go into Costco while the strikes are on. Not sure where the disconnect here is but a scab is a scab and crossing the line is gross af
This is explicitly not what crossing the picket line or being a scab means AND it hurts the strikes entire purpose. They are striking to prove they are needed. If the store can handle itself without the workers they will not get their demands.
Scab means working for a corporation or company and crossing the line by working there. My family has called ppl ALSO shopping at those locations scabs. Is it “technically” correct no! But it’s still fked that ppl will turn blue in the face defending their actions shopping at these places
If there's not a boycott then it may be on purpose. I do not care about the cooperation but sometimes what the workers want to prove is they're needed and actively boycotting would hurt the cause in that case your best bet is always to listen to the organization and not random posts
You have to be smart about it and understand it’s teamsters. My husband didn’t even know they were striking at Costco because he’s a store employee not a truck driver.
I understand the meaning of scab. My family will be striking which means personally for me I will not cross that line. I can also change that to “bootlicker” if that helps more? If you are still shopping at a multibillion company when workers aren’t paid well and are striking you’re the problem 🤷♀️
Jay, you mean if the store can handle it without the deliveries because that’s who’s striking. The drivers that deliver the goods from the main warehouse not the entire store employees.
I honestly do believe it’ll hit negotiations before a strike happens. It would be uncharacteristic for Costco to not negotiate but I’m basically at the point where I don’t think any massive corp is great to support. Even the “better” of the multibillion dollar companies.
Not only am I buying ALL of my groceries from #costco, I just bought an iMac from Costco rather than buy it from Apple. To be clear, some activist shareholders proposed leadership dump established diversity policies & it was rebuffed. I believe this strike is an outgrowth of that rejected proposal.
Are you part of the illiterate electorate, or did you just not read the article? It's okay if you're illiterate. There are many programs for adults such as yourself
The article is entirely without detail. It looks like a press release from the teamsters.
I ask you, do you know anything at all about Costco's wage structure? How about their benefits? Do you have a clue what their employees pay for health care?
You can (and should) always strike for more. Costco treats their employees better than slaves but they still deserve more pay, better benefits and better Healthcare. Quit deepthroating the ceo and improve yourself. You are a failure of a human. Learn empathy you sack of shit.
I did. I’m crossing any picket line that the Teamsters put up. Hope this generation of Teamsters know how to fight if they damage my vehicle or lay hands on me. This ain’t your parent’s generation. I ain’t the one t be on the receiving end of petty strike behavior. My husband has my bail money. 😂
The Costco in my area is fifty miles away in Medford. If I end up over there, a nice large order headed back to Grants Pass usually earns me about $45. Without that, taking business in Medford usually costs me money.
As a person who's household income is supported by Costco, I'm going to say you know nothing. They were offering pennies to their employees, raises that didn't even keep up with inflation, so effectively making less each year while they enjoy HUGE stock bumps for their shareholders.
Not sure if Costco in Canada is striking but I can say a lot of union members here are striking. Inflation is crazy and since workers are under a “master agreement” this is the only opportunity they have to fight for fair wages. I hope the strike ends in a positive outcome for your family!
Apparently, only 8% of Costcos workforce is unionized, I was surprised that it was so low, so not many stores will be affected, by the sounds of it.
They need to band together.
You can. It will get uncomfortable for you though because other union members pay dues for the same protections and if you opt out you don't necessarily get any less protections. So you are essentially not paying for the same protections. Being in a union means your part of a collective.
I'm Canadian, not sure how it works down there.
I assume that just certain stores, very few, by the looks of it, unionized.
It would be pretty odd if those unionized workers were spread throughout the whole operation, so I just assume that it's at just certain stores.
That hasn't been my families experience. And if you (or the person in your family) are in the 401K program, that stock bump is blowing up your retirement account.
My husband is also employed by Costco for years. Where we live they offer a higher wages than most businesses in the area, that's just a fact. I don't know of any businesses in America offering a living wage at this point. It's like finding a unicorn or a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
My opinion is tRump supporting union leadership. Also, I fell asleep while typing my response to this post last night. When I woke up for work, I finished my response and hit “reply”. Then read other responses. Many felt the strike is the result of the rejected activist shareholder DEI demand.
Shopping at the stores isn’t crossing a picket line 🤦🏾♂️. And they released internal polling of their members, so no, it wasn’t just limited to leadership.
But if you want to look into Costco, you’ll know they have some of the highest benefits and wages in the industry and employee satisfaction.
(And the internal polling consisted of two shitty online polls, if I recall correctly. The fact remains, the majority of local and state chapters endorsed Harris.)
That’s my point. The internal polling was intentionally misleading, which means that it was released for the purpose of implying trump support among the teamsters. If the other members want to be upset, they need to direct that at their leadership.
But if you acknowledge that this was a failure of leadership, then why are you using that as a reason to not show solidarity with rank and file members?
I know all about Costco benefits. Doesn’t change the fact that I’m standing in solidarity with striking workers. Costco has made record profits and refused to pass those on to their employees. Do you not think that warrants a strike?
Teamsters represents 8% of the workforce. So which employees are you actually standing in solidarity with?
I’m also not particularly sympathetic to the the union that chose to implicitly endorse trump and told everyone else to 🤬 off when it comes to a living wage.
Never been accused of being a bot before, not even on the other site lol. But yes, I did copy and paste this comment in 2-3 responses because it’s relevant.
According to the Teamster's own website: "Teamsters selected Trump by 58 percent for endorsement over 31 percent for Harris." The Teamsters may be trying to punish Costco for supporting DEI, despite disinformation in this comment string.
It really depends on their strategy. Sometimes they want people to keep shopping because it puts more pressure on the store. Boycotts are difficult to manage and make effective. We should probably stick to what the union has actually asked for instead of making assumptions.
I wasn't impressed that he went to their convention to speak, they are not on their side, but he did say some things that must've shocked the crowd of chuds there. They went pretty silent quite a few times during his speech, when he was calling down their idols, the rich and powerful.
Well, there’s a lot of argument about valid union grievances versus that SOB SO’B hating on DEI. The right thing to do is to take time in the next 10 days to educate yourself about the situation and make an informed decision before the strike actually begins. And stock up what you need from Costco.
Unions are vital for workers’ rights. DEI is also vital for workers’ rights. Wherever you see at least one of the two, support it. A brighter world will see both together.
Comments
From CWA member
I assume Costco will do right by it's workers, I've always heard they're a respectable company like that. $1.50 hot dog and soda deal, for fucks sake. Costco is supposed to be the good guy.
https://nypost.com/2022/04/05/the-6-million-mansion-blm-reportedly-bought-with-donated-funds/
Share a haiku about why union solidarity is important
Also, these BLM people are not the same as the movement.
I've seen this argument coming from the right.
https://www.newtownbee.com/08202020/blm-organization-vs-blm-movement-a-semantic-trap/
Perhaps they should.
FTR, fuck Sean O'Brien but solidarity is solidarity
Costco: We are going to stand up for DEI
Union leaders: Let's gin up negativity toward Costco in the people most likely to care about DEI
Biden was a pro-union President whose administration worked to strengthen worker rights.
Trump praised Musk for firing striking workers.
The President is often called on to intercede and negotiate in Union strikes.
Trump will disappoint.
Still waiting to hear back from my brother about whether or not the Canadian operations are going on strike at all or not.
International support for boycotts still send a message to Costco.
I was shocked reading this.
Costco! Company of DEI and one of the highest paying retail stores.
Leopards eating faces you say?
Just wait until my POTUS starts the tariffs!
I'll set up my own wholesale club with underpaid H1-B's!
Eh, we're fine. Fuck that particular union.
They clearly had no problem denying other people a living wage.
From what I read, only 8% of their workforce is unionized, I was surprised at how low that number is.
afaict that 8% of costco employees with the teamsters is the extent of their unionized workforce
If anyone has a more complete list, I'd be glad to see it.
I won't scab. EVER. But I'm just pointing that out. You suppose the timing could be worse?
Fuck them.
No. Not even then. No. Still no.
This is anti-DEI shenanigans.
They want higher wages and better benefits.
The national leader is a hack and a fascist and a fool, but worker demands are still legit.
Their loss, my gain 😃
They can F right off then, I'm going to support DEI.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/costco-teamsters-including-workers-pierce-230101424.html
I have about as much respect for truck drivers as I do car salesman and corrupt cops.
Have a pleasant day.
I ask you, do you know anything at all about Costco's wage structure? How about their benefits? Do you have a clue what their employees pay for health care?
Anything???
If you did, you'd stop responding.
time to catch up before the rest of the workers unionize or face the consequences
This is just whether or not she’d be crossing the picket line. And yeah, usually things like medications aren’t considered picket line crossing.
Happen
Damn it. Still won't cross a picket line.
They need to band together.
I assume that just certain stores, very few, by the looks of it, unionized.
It would be pretty odd if those unionized workers were spread throughout the whole operation, so I just assume that it's at just certain stores.
Nobody wants to go on strike, trust me, I've been in more than one, one for over a year.
They clearly had no problem denying other people a living wage.
Also, Costco already has some of the best benefits and wages in the industry, so something isn’t adding up.
But using this as an excuse to cross the picket line is pretty gross, buddy.
But if you want to look into Costco, you’ll know they have some of the highest benefits and wages in the industry and employee satisfaction.
But if you acknowledge that this was a failure of leadership, then why are you using that as a reason to not show solidarity with rank and file members?
I know all about Costco benefits. Doesn’t change the fact that I’m standing in solidarity with striking workers. Costco has made record profits and refused to pass those on to their employees. Do you not think that warrants a strike?
https://workerorganizing.org/how-to-honor-the-picket-line-an-ewoc-guide-to-solidarity-5852/
I’m also not particularly sympathetic to the the union that chose to implicitly endorse trump and told everyone else to 🤬 off when it comes to a living wage.
Does that context matter?
*reads second-hand why the this is happening*
Oh. Ohhh. Yeurgh. Yeah, never-mind, Costco's fine; anti-DEI Teamsters is the problem here.
Time to send a letter and call to support their union.
I also don’t trust the teamsters national leadership and I’m a long time union supporter.