As the holiday shopping season gets underway, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), issued the following statement urging workers be treated with dignity and respect from in-store shopping to e-commerce warehousing, from farm to table and everything in between.

Today, unionized REI workers with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) filed coordinated, nationwide unfair labor practice charges against their employer, Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI), over the company’s bad faith bargaining practices and unilateral workplace changes that show a pattern of egregious anti-union behavior, emotional manipulation, and retaliatory actions against workers, such as firings, changes to work schedules, and disciplinary practices. Workers from all eight unionized REI locations filed charges with their regional National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) offices.

Members of RWDSU Local 87 who work at Aunt Millie’s have ratified a new three-year collective bargaining agreement. The workers stood together and fought hard to keep their current healthcare, as well as to bring all merchandisers into the union. Other wins include raises in base rate pay for drivers, a second tier for drivers, and a $500 ratification bonus for all.

A 20 percent general wage increase and $1,500 ratification bonus are among the highlights of a new four-year contract for Local 110 members at Quaker Oats in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The contract, ratified on November 1, also brings significant improvement to new hire vacation schedules as well as increased starting pay for new hires.