US outdoor retail co-op REI has reached an agreement with its unionised workers that “outlines a new path forward for contract negotiations”, according to a joint statement released this week by REI, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW).
The co-op met with unions in Chicago over 28-30 July, where progress was made on a number of topics, including an agreement to establish a national bargaining structure that will inform store-level collective bargaining agreements for the REI’s 11 unionised stores.
The agreement also sees REI providing wage increases and bonuses for the years 2022-2024, when workers at represented stores did not receive them, and Unfair Labor Practice charges filed with the National Labor Relations Board against the co-op have been dropped.
“This agreement reflects both sides’ commitment to finding solutions to complex issues and clears the way for continued good faith discussions toward a collective bargaining agreement,” said REI.
REI, a consumer co-op owned by its 25 million members, has seen a growing unionisation movement since 2022, when workers at its flagship store in Manhattan voted to join RWDSU.
Eleven of REI’s 193 stores are currently unionised: 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.
A campaign led by REI unions this year resulted in members voting to reject the three candidates REI had selected for election to its board of directors, after it had refused to include two union-backed candidates on the original election ballot.
Speaking about the recent deal, the REI union bargaining committee said: “We want what’s best for all REI workers, our customers, and the co-op. This agreement is a tremendous step forward in negotiating a first contract, and we look forward to continuing to bargain with REI.”
