One Year After New CEO takes Charge, Co-op Continues to Union Bust
SEATTLE, WASH. – Today, the REI Union held a press conference in Seattle, Wash., pulling back the curtain on contract negotiations with the REI Co-op over the past six months. As part of their multi-year-long anti-union campaign and despite reaching 25 tentative agreements, REI made the decision to illegally declare impasse, walk away from negotiations, and unilaterally implement wage cuts for REI union workers.
“We won our union election four years ago because we wanted a way to hold our employer accountable for their decisions and actions, to take care of one another, and to have respect and dignity at our workplace. We wanted this co-op to live up to its values,” said REI SoHo worker Claire Chang. “Since then, REI has tried many different aggressive tactics in an attempt to break our spirits and break our union. But it hasn’t worked. In fact, we’ve only grown in number and are more united and determined than ever before.”
During negotiations, REI announced deep cuts to workers’ benefits packages, a key marker of bad-faith bargaining.
“Among many others, they cut our retirement, our health care, our vacation days, holiday pay for part-time workers, plus the personal and unpaid time we’ve always set aside to go outside and return with real experience that we could pass on to our members,” said REI Bellingham worker Alex Pollitt. “It’s like they think the outdoors are only for the people who can afford it.”
REI Union workers were joined by co-op members (shoppers) and elected officials who condemned the co-op’s actions.
“More than a year ago, I stood with workers outside REI’s Issaquah headquarters and my message remains the same: Every worker deserves an employer who will come to the table and bargain in good faith. I know REI can rise to this moment, lean into its values and come back to the table to reach a fair deal,” said King County Executive Girmay Zahilay.
Leadership from the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) International Union and the Retail, Wholesale, Department Store Union (RWDSU) released statements condemning the Co-op’s vehemently anti-union actions.
“REI workers bargained for months, but in the end, the co-op stuck to its anti-union core,” said UFCW International President Milton Jones. “All workers deserve to have stable working conditions and wages that allow them to live their lives. REI has an opportunity to come back to the table – they must take it.”
“REI’s attempt to paint itself as a progressive, values-based co-op is a total illusion so long as they continue to treat their own employees with such blatant disrespect,” said Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). “By falsely declaring an impasse and walking away from the table, REI has moved beyond mere stalling and gone right back into an active, multi-yearslong campaign of union-busting. REI workers have reached 25 tentative agreements in good faith, yet management would rather break the law than provide a fair, equitable contract. REI must stop these anti-union theatrics and return to the bargaining table immediately.”
Email press@ufcw.org to speak with an REI Union worker spokesperson.
BACKGROUND
- Since the first REI store unionized in SoHo, N.Y., in 2022, the REI Co-op has engaged in a scorched-earth union-busting campaign both in store and at the bargaining table, complete with the intimidation of workers, lies about unionization, and the termination of many vocal union supporters. In response, workers have held several multi-day walkouts, community and co-op member actions and garnered support from elected officials from across the country and more.
- During REI’s 2025 board of directors elections, the REI Union supported a campaign against REI’s candidates after two union-backed candidates were not allowed on the ballot. At its annual member meeting in May 2025, REI announced that its board candidates had been voted down.
- In July 2025, REI and the union agreed to establish a national bargaining structure to reach collective bargaining agreements for the 11 unionized REI stores. As part of the agreement, REI provided wage increases and bonuses for the years 2022-2024 that REI previously withheld from workers at represented stores.
- After months of negotiations, REI Union workers voted on a comprehensive offer from REI on February 4, 2026. The offer was rejected by a nearly unanimous vote. Per the national bargaining structure, both parties resumed negotiations later in the month. At the end of those negotiations, REI declared an impasse, while the union disputed the co-op’s position by filing claims with an arbitrator.
- As negotiations were taking place, REI unilaterally changed the bylaws of its board to allow the co-op to appoint unelected directors for a period of three years whereas previously directors had to be elected by co-op membership. This was a clear attempt to stifle the voices of co-op members and stakeholders.
- Since 2022, 11 REI stores have voted to unionize: SoHo, N.Y., Berkeley, Calif., Cleveland, Ohio, Chicago, Ill., Boston, Mass., Durham, N.C., Maple Grove, Minn., Bellingham, Wash., Castleton, Ind., Santa Cruz, Calif., and Greensboro, N.C.
- REI union members are represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Locals 5, 663, 700, 1208, 1445, 3000, and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) Locals 379 and 1102.
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REI Union members are represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). Learn more about the growing REI unionization movement here.
The UFCW International is the largest private sector union in the United States, representing 1.2 million workers and their families in retail, grocery, meatpacking, food processing, healthcare, cannabis, and other essential industries. UFCW members serve our communities in all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. Learn more about the UFCW at ufcw.org.
The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) represents 100,000 members throughout the United States. The RWDSU is affiliated with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW). For more information, please visit our website at www.rwdsu.org, Facebook:/RWDSU.UFCW Twitter:@RWDSU.