After three years of bargaining, outdoor retailer REI Co-op and the two unions representing some REI workers announced an agreement that could bring them closer to an initial contract at unionized stores.
In a joint press release Friday, REI, based in Issaquah, Washington, and the union bargaining committee said they had agreed to establish a “national bargaining structure to inform store-level collective bargaining agreements” for its 11 unionized stores, including one in Bellingham.
“This agreement is a tremendous step forward in negotiating a first contract,” the REI Union bargaining committee said in a statement.
Since 2022, workers at 11 REI stores have been affiliated with either the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) or the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), which work together as the REI Union. The union cites issues with wages, staffing and unpredictable hours. Unionized workers have accused REI of bargaining in bad faith and dragging its feet, a claim the company denies. Friday’s announcement comes after three years of contentious negotiations between the co-op and the REI Union.
In March, the National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint against REI alleging that the company had broken the law by withholding wages and bonuses to workers at unionized stores in retaliation for organizing activity.
The company denied the claim. A hearing in the case was scheduled for later this year, but as part of the new agreement reached Friday, REI said it will pay wage increases and bonuses to the workers at unionized stores who didn’t receive them. In exchange, the REI Union said it would drop the unfair labor practice charges it had filed with the NLRB over the matter.
“This agreement reflects both sides’ commitment to finding solutions to complex issues and clears the way for continued good faith discussions towards a collective bargaining agreement,” REI said in a statement.
This spring, the REI Union successfully urged co-op members to reject the board of director candidates put forward by REI in protest of the company’s approach to labor issues. REI has yet to announce who will be appointed to the board in place of its handpicked candidates.
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