FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 17, 2025
Contact: Maria DiPasquale | mdipasquale@rwdsu.org | 201-396-1021
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION SHOCKINGLY DECLINES TO INVESTIGATE REI SOHO SKI SHOP WORKING CONDITIONS
The RWDSU Will Contest the OSHA Decision
Joins With NYCOSH In Calling For Air Quality Testing
(NEW YORK, NY) - The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a decision in OSHA Complaint No. 2240262, made by technicians in the REI SoHo bike and ski shop on December 5, 2024. All eight workers employed in the REI SoHo bike and ski shop have been out on a health and safety strike since December 4, 2024, after REI removed personal protective equipment previously supplied by the company from the bike and ski shop without providing any evidence to support their assertion that the work environment is safe to perform ski work in without respirators. OSHA has shockingly determined that the evidence provided by REI is sufficient and does not warrant further investigation by the agency. The RWDSU will be contesting this decision and joins with the New York Committee for Occupational Safety & Health (NYCOSH) in calling for a new air quality test to be performed by a qualified industrial hygienist testing for the three chemicals used during ski tune work – metal grip, emulsion, and low density polyethylene.
“The RWDSU maintains our belief that the evidence provided by REI – a six-year old (2019) air quality trial that only tested for dust and paraffin wax – is both dated and insufficient to address REI SoHo workers’ concerns. United with NYCOSH, we are calling for a new air quality test to be performed swiftly. We will not rest until our members work in a safe environment,” said Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).
“OSHA requires that companies like REI conduct job hazard assessments and provide employees with information about employee safety when requested. Despite employees' claim that the air was unsafe at REI, the company refused to submit data to attest to the air quality. Further, when NYCOSH offered to conduct our own air quality test at the request of the Union, management refused. The conduct of REI, a company that has built its brand on supposed fair labor practices, is abhorrent--they must do right by their workers and keep their employees safe,” said Charlene Obernauer, Executive Director of the New York Committee for Occupational Safety & Health (NYCOSH).
“REI needs to take responsibility for ensuring a safe and healthy working environment for its employees. Poor indoor air quality can lead to serious health impacts. Transparency about environmental conditions in the workplace is crucial for safeguarding worker health. We at NYCOSH have offered to conduct an indoor air quality assessment to address employees’ concerns, but management has refused. By shutting down efforts to evaluate workplace conditions, REI is failing to prioritize worker safety. Every worker deserves to know the quality of the air they breathe. It’s a fundamental expectation of workplace safety,” said Samantha Fisher, Industrial Hygienist at the New York Committee for Occupational Safety & Health (NYCOSH).
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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, Instagram: @rwdsustrong.
Learn more about the growing REI unionization movement here.