Rei soho strike

REI, the outdoor equipment company, has long touted its progressive ideals. In fact, the story of progressive companies turning on their workers when they try to organize has become commonplace.

We are unionizing at REI! We know that as workers at REI, we are at the center of what makes our stores great. Our shared passion for the outdoors and spirit of inclusiveness is what keeps o ur members coming into our stores. Our hard work and expertise have value and deserve respect. REI needs t o be held accountable to their stated values. Having a union contract gives you and your coworkers a voice in the policies that affect your daily work lives and the ability to secure the benefits you deserve. W e voted to unionize at our stores to help buil d a better REI for everyon e!

Rei soho strike

New issue out now. Subscribe to our print edition today. On the afternoon of February 24, in the basement of the Hudson Park Library in lower Manhattan, a crowd of workers gathered to see a play. Laura Neill, the playwright, greeted attendees, and friends excitedly exchanged hellos as they waited for the performance to begin. There was something unusual about this read-through. The play is being directed by Colm Summers, the artistic director of Working Theater, which focuses on theater by and about working people. She started writing the play that spring, but the story changed as managerial scheming and incompetence brought workplace problems to the forefront of her mind. The problems mounted: underscheduling, gas leaks, flooding. Shortly after the SoHo location unionized, REI had announced a nationwide raise for every store except SoHo: a strategy to deny benefits to unionized stores in hopes of dissuading further organizing Starbucks did the same thing. The SoHo workers walked out, prompting REI to offer a side-letter agreement, granting them the raise for six months in exchange for a no-strike pledge. But they allege that the company stalled at the bargaining table, dragging its feet and failing to offer counterproposals. Then, it hired infamous union-busting law firm Morgan Lewis and asked them to extend the agreement for another six months. They decided not to sign, so the company rescinded the pay raise on June 1,

Be terminated without sufficient cause. It is then no coincidence that the the U. A Lululemon store in Washington, D.

The protest represents the latest escalation in an on-going legal fight between REI and employees at the SoHo location, which became the first REI store to unionize in March Since then, at least seven other REI locations voted to form unions. In an official statement on Friday, REI said organizers could have their increased pay if they agreed to not strike. Instead, unionized workers have taken to the streets, demanding that REI reinstate their wages and return to the bargaining table. The newly unionized employees would not go on strike in exchange for receiving the same pay increase as the rest of the company. On June 1, the same day the temporary agreement ended, REI hired new legal counsel Morgan Lewis — the same firm that fought against unions for Amazon.

REI said the following:. We will not sit by as management systematically spreads misinformation, subjects employees to emotional manipulation, and commits clear violations of federal labor law. The workers at REI are keeping that vision alive with our hard work, expertise, community service, and yes, by forming a union. Despite the onslaught of union-busting tactics, we will keep organizing and winning elections. When we stand together, we win.

Rei soho strike

July 6, AM. A pedestrian walks by REI's flagship store in New York, where last year workers formed the company's first union. A shopping mecca for outdoor enthusiasts, the retailer had cultivated a progressive reputation: promoting sustainability, famously closing on Black Friday to encourage people to play outside, giving workers a paid four-week sabbatical after 15 years and running as a co-op co-owned by its shoppers. Now, she and hundreds of other REI workers find themselves at odds with their employer over their efforts to unionize.

Sarah stern documentary 20/20 where to watch

REI Boston is Unionizing! The workers push past their fears and dire financial needs. We know that as workers at REI, we are at the center of what makes our stores great. We all deserve a union. The protest represents the latest escalation in an on-going legal fight between REI and employees at the SoHo location, which became the first REI store to unionize in March Even if a company starts great, which REI did. On June 1, the same day the temporary agreement ended, REI hired new legal counsel Morgan Lewis — the same firm that fought against unions for Amazon. The labor movement and the left-wing movement connected to it was once a venue in which working-class art flourished , a space for not only economic and political gains but creative ones too, with organized labor providing the community and material support such work requires. We are the REI Union. Next post New student space revealed amidst campus enhancements. Foot Wears House takes place in the footwear department of a popular outdoor goods store in SoHo that has recently unionized. Skip to content. The play is being directed by Colm Summers, the artistic director of Working Theater, which focuses on theater by and about working people. REI Berkeley Unionizes.

The union involved in the election, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, said in a statement following the ballot count that workers voted 88 to 14 in favor of joining.

Have real job security and protection from unjust termination. They have confronted us so many times that we are left with no other option but to withhold our labor. The labor movement has gained quite a bit of momentum in the last several years, particularly among younger people. When REI changed its legal representation a year into negotiations, the unions said, the company rolled back an agreement to give workers there the same pay increases offered to non-union stores the day after the union election. Executives go on a hiring spree in hopes of diluting union support. By signing up for email newsletters, you agree to GearJunkie's Privacy Policy. Shortly after the SoHo location unionized, REI had announced a nationwide raise for every store except SoHo: a strategy to deny benefits to unionized stores in hopes of dissuading further organizing Starbucks did the same thing. Next post. As events build toward a strike on Labor Day, new managers flood the store, at one point hiding in the stockroom in hopes of overhearing workers talk about organizing. We determine what our priorities are and set our goals for negotiations. Read the Full Article Here. Are you going to just job-hop forever? GearJunkie may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. What Is A Union? Actors , nurses , baristas , delivery drivers , and teachers have also unionized in recent years for better pay and fair treatment.