Indianapolis, Ind. – Today, workers at the REI store in Castleton voted to join the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 700 in order to build a better future for themselves and their coworkers. REI Castleton Workers’ successful unionization push comes on the heels of a growing unionization movement at REI, becoming the 9th location nationwide to have won their election outright unionize with the UFCW/RWDSU.
Celina Pfarr (She/They), REI Employee at Castleton, Ind. store, said the following:
“I came to REI because I wanted a community of like-minded people who cared about something bigger than themselves. I was proud to stand alongside my coworkers and vote yes today for a say in our future and to join the growing REI union movement. It has been a tough journey but also really amazing to build real friendships with my coworkers both new and tenured, and to see our hard work culminate in this exciting moment – we finally did it!”
Today’s vote comes just days after a rally attended by Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, State Senator Fady Qaddoura, and multiple community groups calling on REI to recognize the union and uphold its mission to have a positive impact on employees, members, and society. Please see this link to access pictures and videos of the event.
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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.
Learn more about the growing REI unionization movement here.