Costco and the Teamsters union came to a tentative contract agreement, averting a scheduled strike by its 18,000 union members in 56 stores.

Teamsters officials made no real preparations for a strike, as reported by rank-and-file members across various locals. From the beginning, it was evident that the union leadership’s primary goal was to avoid any disruption to Costco’s operations rather than to fight for workers’ demands.

Costco and the Teamsters union have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, avoiding a strike, the union said Saturday.