Costco is raising pay for most workers as a Friday night deadline looms on a new contract with its unionized employees.

The clock is ticking for Issaquah-based Costco and the Teamsters Union to reach an agreement over a new contract for about 18,000 workers across the country.

An estimated 18,000 Costco employees are members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and 85% of them voted to strike.

Costco Teamsters members voted to authorize a strike if negotiations on a new contract don't result in a new deal by Jan. 31.

Workers at America's largest wholesale retailer may soon go on strike as the corporation has seen profits skyrocket in recent years, union officials said. Costco workers nationwide voted by an overwhelming 85-percent margin to authorize a strike,