REI Bargaining Update
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On April 16 and 23, we had planned bargaining dates with REI’s Morgan Lewis lawyers. Unfortunately, they were not able to make the 16 date due to a personal emergency. However, on the 23, they did not seem prepared either. We used that day to prepare all of what we currently had on the table into a comprehensive non-economic set of proposals. We presented the lawyers with this and they had nothing to show us in return, despite the fact that REI won’t be bargaining with us again until early June. We are hopeful that at our next bargaining dates, they will come back prepared, but we know that we will have to drag them kicking and screaming to be productive at the bargaining table.
However, we slowly but surely feel that our public campaign is working. We rejected their board member candidates and sent a clear message to REI that the co-op needs to get back on track. A few weeks earlier, the new CEO Mary Beth Laughton issued an apology for endorsing Trump’s Secretary of Interior pick. Forward together!
Action items:
Can’t get time off approved? Make sure to raise your issues with getting time off directly with Jon Knitter. The co-op purports to support a healthy work-life balance but it is up to you to make sure that REI sticks to its own 7-day turnaround policy.
Campaign updates
WE WON! The 11 unionized stores across the country successfully turned out tens of thousands of members to reject the cherry-picked corporate Board candidates! This was a huge sign to the co-op that REI members and workers want to bring the co-op back to its founding values. Members across the country sent a message to the co-op: STOP UNION BUSTING and BARGAIN A FAIR CONTRACT WITH WORKERS!
A few weeks ago, workers from Chicago, Greensboro, Durham and our store (Tini!) attended the Mountaineers Gala in Seattle. REI sponsored this event has deep ties to the organization. We talked to attendees about our fight for a first contract and how to vote against REI’s corporate board.
Getting together! We had a great get together a few weeks ago to talk about bargaining, our public campaign, and next steps. It was great to see everyone come out!
In the News
We won our board campaign! There was great news coverage in the Seattle Times, Huffington Post, and industry websites.
REI Apologizes for Endorsing Burgum and union comment! “For the REI Union it’s become another sticking point between employees and REI leaders on top of what they view as an increased corporatization at the co-op. Despite the compounding complaints from the union — alleged union busting, dismissing union-endorsed board candidates, dragging out contract negotiations — members were ‘shocked to see REI endorse someone who has close ties to the oil and gas industry,” said Sean Embly, director of organizing for major Washington union UFCW 3000.
https://www.seattletimes.com/business/we-made-a-mistake-rei-apologies-for-supporting-trump-public-lands-pick/
Questions? Reach out to your Union Rep Allison Hanley at 360-409-0242
