On April 18, workers at the REI store in Santa Cruz, Calif., voted to be represented by UFCW Local 5. They will join their co-workers at nine other unionized REI stores across the country, including those at the Berkeley store, which is also represented by UFCW Local 5 and where negotiations for a first contract have been ongoing for nearly a year.
Jude Holladay, an employee at the Santa Cruz store, expressed the excitement of the staff members who are known as “green vests” regarding their opportunity to join a nationwide movement of REI workers.
“We want to be able to wear the green vests with pride and feel like the co-op has our backs,” Holladay said. “We came to work here because we were guided by our deep love for the outdoors and the co-op way. Now, REI appears to have abandoned their core values in favor of a top-down corporate approach. We look forward to bargaining for a fair contract and encourage more stores across the country to join us.”
UFCW Local 5’s organizing win is a part of the national REI campaign, and follows the successful unionization efforts at REI stores in SoHo in New York City, Berkeley, Calif., Cleveland, Chicago, Boston, Durham, N.C., Bellingham, Wash., Maple Grove, Minn., and Castleton, Ind.