After years of protracted back-and-forth, REI and its unionized employees are still far apart.
On Thursday, nearly 99% of unionized workers voted to reject a proposed contract with the Issaquah-based outdoor retailer. In a joint statement, REI and the union said they plan to go back to the bargaining table and “continue good-faith discussions” in mid-February.
Workers at 11 REI stores have voted to unionize since 2022, citing issues with pay, staffing and working conditions. Some REI stores, including the one in Bellingham, are represented by United Food and Commercial Workers Union while others are represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Stores Union. They collectively refer to themselves as the REI Union.
REI and the REI Union reached an agreement last July to establish a “national bargaining structure to inform store-level collective bargaining agreements.” The two parties have spent the past five months at the bargaining table. As part of the agreement, the REI Union has temporarily agreed to avoid publicly commenting on contract negotiations and board elections.
Thursday’s contract vote coincided with REI’s annual member meeting, and the conclusion of the co-op’s 2026 board of directors election.
In last year’s board election, the REI Union successfully rallied co-op members to “withhold” their votes and reject the company’s slate of handpicked candidates to protest REI’s approach to labor issues.
Because of the ongoing negotiations, the REI Union stayed silent on this year’s election, which once again saw three candidates running for uncontested seats.
During Thursday’s meeting, REI Board Chair Chris Carr announced that a majority of members voted to elect all three candidates.
“As such, we will seat the newly-elected directors and move forward with a board that brings experience, shared values and a clear focus on the health of our co-op,” Carr said.
The three board candidates were Rose Marcario, the former CEO of Patagonia; incumbent board member Edward Philip, former COO of Partners in Health; and Chuck Sams, a member of the Cayuse and Walla Walla tribes who was the first Native American director of the National Park Service.
Thursday’s livestreamed member meeting was light on other details about the company. Mary Beth Laughton, who took over as CEO last year, thanked members for making their voices heard by voting, promised to continue “listening and learning” and announced that REI is launching a new 2026 member survey in coming weeks.
“This year brings tremendous opportunity, but will have its share of challenges,” Laughton said. “We’ll stay focused on investing in our retail foundations, strengthening our financial health and leveraging our unique assets to fuel growth.”
As with last year’s election, REI did not share how many members cast votes, or what percentage voted for or against the slate of candidates.
In a departure from last year’s board meeting, REI did not take questions from members, and concluded the meeting after less than 10 minutes.
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