Costco Union's Second Strike Next Month... Negotiations After Seol Holiday Are Key

Scheduled for two days including March 23
21st main negotiation session to be held right after the holiday

The Costco labor union will begin its second strike on the 23rd of next month. The union stated, "The management is not showing a progressive attitude," and plans to continue escalating the level of their struggle. On the other hand, the management is advocating for resolving the issue through dialogue. The Costco labor and management are scheduled to resume talks right after the Lunar New Year holiday, drawing attention to whether both sides can narrow their differences during the upcoming main negotiations.

Image related to Costco. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

According to industry sources on the 6th, Kang Woo-cheol, chairman of the Mart Labor Union, announced at a strike rally held in front of the Costco Gwangmyeong branch on the 4th, "On March 23, we plan to gather 250 members nationwide under a concentrated directive."

The concentrated directive essentially means a strike. Lee Mi-hyun, the acting chairperson of the Costco union, said, "We are planning a two-day strike starting from the 23rd of next month," adding, "We are internally discussing on which exact dates the strike will take place based on the 23rd." Costco employs about 6,000 staff members, with over 500 union members. During the first strike held on the 3rd and 4th, 250 union members nationwide participated, and about 80 union members took part in the strike rally in front of the Gwangmyeong branch.

The key issue is how much progress labor and management can make in dialogue by the scheduled strike date of the 23rd next month. The 21st main negotiation between labor and management is scheduled for the 13th, right after the Lunar New Year holiday.

Costco labor and management have been in conflict over the collective bargaining agreement for more than three years. The Costco union was established in August 2020 and began negotiations with the company for a collective bargaining agreement in the same year. However, during 12 main negotiation sessions over more than a year until September of the following year, no significant conclusions were reached. After a two-year pause in talks due to COVID-19, negotiations resumed in September last year following the death of a worker in his 20s at the Costco Hanam branch in June. Since then, eight main negotiation sessions have been held, but positions remain far apart.

The management has reportedly asked the union to stop strike-related activities such as regional tours and publicity campaigns and to resolve the issue through dialogue. However, the union has stated that if the company does not show a progressive attitude, they will escalate their struggle.

Chairman Kang said, "After resuming negotiations, the company's collective bargaining proposal was delivered during the second negotiation, but despite the union's opposition, the company has not presented any improved proposals in subsequent talks," adding, "It is uncertain whether the company will offer even a slight concession to the union's demands in the 21st negotiation scheduled for the 13th."

Meanwhile, the Costco union applied for dispute mediation with the Central Labor Relations Commission in October 2021, and after the commission decided to suspend mediation, the union obtained the right to strike.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.