The more than 18,000 Costco Wholesale employees represented by the Teamsters union voted overwhelmingly to authorize a nationwide strike should they not reach a new labor agreement by the end of the month.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents 18,000 workers across five states, announced on Sunday that Costco Teamsters have authorized a strike.

With a master agreement with the Teamsters set to expire in 10 days, affecting 18,000 of the retailer's workers, hundreds last week held practice pickets.

The Teamsters union said more than 18,000 Costo workers are set to strike: “The vote is a direct result of the company’s continued failure to bargain constructively and refusal to present a

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents more than 10,000 Costco workers, authorized a nationwide strike to occur in February.

Costco Teamsters nationwide have voted by an 85% margin to authorize a strike on Feb. 1 if its labor dispute over fair wages and benefits is not resolved. The Costco Teamsters National Master Agreement, covering more than 18,000 Costco workers, expires on Jan. 31.

Unionized Costco stores in the U.S. voted to authorize a strike. Here's everything to know about possible Costco strike locations and Arizona impact.

While Costco is known for paying its employees higher wages than its competitors, the union is accusing the company of not sharing its recent success with workers.