On May 8, the REI Union celebrated the success of its massive “Vote No” campaign after REI announced that all of its unopposed, corporate-backed Board of Directors candidates had been soundly rejected by REI members. Over 115,000 REI members participated in the campaign to vote down the candidates, likely making it the highest turnout for an election in REI history.
The REI Union issued the following statement:
“This victory was only possible because REI members and REI workers stood together to send a resounding message that it is time for the co-op to return to its core values. We are optimistic that Mary Beth Laughton will take this opportunity to listen to everyone who voted for workers and members to have a voice in the company’s future. Moving forward, REI should stop union busting, negotiate a fair contract with organized workers, and fill the vacancies on the board with the candidates that members backed initially.”
Prior to the “Vote No” campaign, the REI Union campaigned to have environmental leaders Tefere Gebre of Greenpeace and the AFL-CIO and Shemona Moreno of 350.org included on the ballot. In spite of over 10,000 co-nominations by REI members, REI refused to put either on the ballot. The REI Union is calling on the co-op to fill two of its three empty board seats with the candidates that members endorsed in the first place–Gebre and Moreno.
“Even though REI kept my name off this year’s ballot, today’s results are what my candidacy was all about,” Gebre said. “I ran for the board because I wanted to advocate for greater transparency and democracy. The results of today’s election are a step toward making that happen. With three vacancies on the board, I’d still be happy to serve and work toward making sure workers and members are represented fairly.”
Since 2022, 11 REI stores have voted to unionize in New York, California, Ohio, Illinois, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Washington, Minnesota, and Indiana. None of the stores have reached first union contracts with REI, and there are currently 35 unfair labor practice charges documenting 175 violations of labor law still pending with the NLRB.
More information about the REI Union is available here.