(SUMNER, WASHINGTON) – More than 150 Costco Drivers in Sumner, Washington have voted overwhelmingly to join Teamsters Local 174, becoming the first-ever group of Workers at a Costco Distribution Center to organize with the Teamsters.

The Workers are seeking strong representation to address years of workplace concerns under the backing of a Teamsters contract.

Key issues include wages, retirement and a lack of seniority and grievance procedure.

Paul Lowrie, a three-year Driver at Costco and new Teamster, said: “Costco isn’t the company it once was.  The culture has shifted dramatically the past few years.  Management told us they heard our concerns, but they weren’t listening.  We were tired of being ignored.  My fellow Drivers and I knew that the only way to reclaim control of our future and make things better was by joining the Teamsters.”

Lowrie and his Co-Workers will now join more than 18,000 Costco Teamsters nationwide.

The win in Washington follows the Teamsters’ historic organizing victory at the wholesaler in December 2023, when 200 Costco Workers in Norfolk, Virginia became the first group to win Union Representation at the Seattle-based company in over two decades.

In October 2022, the Teamsters ratified the first-ever National Master Agreement for Costco Workers, which 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 National Contract expires on January 31st, 2025.

“This historic vote means these Drivers will be the first Costco Distribution Drivers in the country to be Union Members.  The importance of this simply cannot be overstated, as it will encourage other Costco Drivers to follow the path forged by these brave and strong new Teamsters,” said Rick Hicks, who serves as Secretary-Treasurer of Local 174 and Teamsters Western Region International Vice President.

The Teamsters represents 1.3 million Members in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.

To Directly Access This Organizing Labor News Story In Its Entirety, Go To: Costco Workers in Washington Join Teamsters - International Brotherhood of Teamsters