In the midst of REI’s Labor Day weekend sale, REI Chicago workers stopped work and walked off the job in an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike to protest REI’s failure to bargain over recent changes to scheduling and availability policies, as well as their failure to bargain a union contract in good faith. Notably, the REI Chicago Lincoln Park store is currently understaffed, putting undue burden on workers during a busy sale weekend. Workers rallied and picketed outside the store with their allies, demanding that REI come back to the table to bargain over the recent restructuring changes and reach a first union contract by the end of the year.

During the middle of REI’s annual Anniversary Sale, members of REI Union SoHo, represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), stopped work and walked off the job in an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike to protest REI’s failure to bargain a contract in good faith. REI SoHo workers picketed and demanded REI agree to reach a fair contract by the end of 2024. Photos and videos from the strike are available for media use here.

During the middle of REI’s annual Anniversary Sale, members of REI Union SoHo, represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), rallied in protest of REI’s failure to bargain a contract in good faith. Joined by RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum and fellow union members, NYC Council Member Christopher Marte, NYC Council Member Carmen De La Rosa, NYC Council Member Chi Ossé and other elected officials, Vincent Alvarez, President of the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, and other elected leaders and workers from across New York’s labor movement, REI SoHo workers rallied and demanded REI agree to reach a fair contract by the end of 2024.

During the middle of REI’s annual Anniversary Sale, a delegation of Cleveland elected officials hand delivered a letter to management at the REI store in Beachwood, Ohio, demanding the company bargain in good faith and commit to reaching a union contract by the end of 2024. In an unprecedented move, they also hand delivered recent unfair labor practice charges (ULPs) filed by the union on Friday at the store, adding to a growing litany of charges against the company still awaiting adjudication by the labor board. Following the delivery, elected officials joined rallying workers, REI Co-Op members, Cleveland labor groups including members of the North Shore Labor Federation (AFL-CIO), fellow union members and leaders from the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), and others in support of REI workers. Earlier this month, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown also sent a letter to REI management demanding the company bargain in good faith. The Senator has supported the workers at the store since their long, needlessly delayed union election.