Unionized Costco workers voted to authorize a strike Monday, setting the stage for a work stoppage at the end of the month.

The Costco Teamsters union, which represents over 18,000 workers at the retail store, put a firm timeline for the company to sign a tentative agreement with its employees.

“Costco Teamsters are ready to take action if the $420 billion wholesale giant doesn’t deliver a fair contract by the January 31 deadline,” the Teamsters wrote on X. “More than 18,000 Costco Teamsters nationwide are prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure Costco rewards the workers who drive its success — not just Wall Street and corporate executives.”

The union said 85% of members voted to authorize a strike. If the union and Costco can’t reach an agreement by the deadline, the union could call a work stoppage at any time.

The retailer is known for providing robust wages and benefits and recently refused to retract its diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

The union says Costco has failed to bargain constructively and hasn’t presented a fair contract that “reflects the company’s record-breaking profits.”

“From day one, we’ve told Costco that our members won’t work a day past January 31 without a historic, industry-leading agreement,” Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said in a statement. “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 couldn’t be reached for comment.

The union hasn’t made its explicit demands public, but Teamsters leadership has repeatedly called on Costco to offer improved wages and benefits. The average hourly wage for a Costco employee stands at just over $22.

• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.