Costco is facing a possible strike by unionized employees, as the boon it is enjoying due to inflation-strapped customers flocking to its low prices has generated profits that workers are now demanding a piece of in contract negotiations.

Costco workers were offered a national contract in June, which management referred to as, the “last, best and final” offer management would make. However the contract was rejected by 93% of employees when put to a vote. Negotiations continue this week, however the outlook is not optimistic.

The Teamsters, the largest labor union in the US, is promising stronger efforts going forward. Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said, “Our members at Costco will stand up for their rights and withhold their labor if necessary.”

O’Brien noted that their 1.2 million member team will act in concert if their needs aren’t met.

Mike Bergen, Local 166 Secretary-Treasurer and Chair of the Teamsters Costco National Negotiating Committee said the union feels the company is not properly sharing the profits it makes with workers. He said, “Costco made record profits during the pandemic—more than $70 billion in 2021 alone—yet they are refusing to share their success with the employees who make them profitable. They don’t seem to care about their workers anymore.”

Tom Erickson, International VP and Director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division said Costco, “can afford to pay [its] members their fair share of those profits,” since it “made a killing off [its] members’ backs during the pandemic.”