Members of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) gathered on zoom to share stories of past holiday seasons and issues they face heading into one of the busiest times of the year in the industry. Workers came together just ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday to highlight the unique pressures they face and call on the public to be kind and understanding.

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 Chicago, 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. Joined by fellow union members, elected officials including State Senators Robert Peters and Lakesia Collins, Don Villar, Secretary-Treasurer of the Chicago Federation of Labor, and other leaders and workers from across Chicago’s labor movement, they rallied and demanded REI agree to reach a fair contract by the end of 2024.

The REI Union National Steering Committee held a “board meeting” zoom call with workers from all ten unionized stores across the country. This open union “board meeting” came on the heels of REI’s annual privately held corporate board meeting, which notoriously excludes Co-Op members and workers from participating in a real way. During the call, workers reviewed the company’s union busting practices, and gave a status update on the glacial pace of union contract negotiations. A recording of the event and additional supporting reference documents can be viewed and used by the media here.