Posts Categorized: Retail

On August 25, workers at the REI store in Berkeley, Calif., joined UFCW Local 5, marking the second organizing win in the UFCW’s national REI campaign. The RWDSU/UFCW represents workers at the REI SoHo Co-op store in New York City, which was the first REI store in the country to become unionized.

The official vote, tallied by the National Labor Relations Board, was 56 ‘UNION YES’ to 38 NO. REI Berkeley workers publicly kicked off their unionization campaign in June and successfully filed for a union election after delivering a letter to management informing the company that a majority of the workers at the store had signed union authorization cards. The effort was widely supported by the community, and statements of solidarity included a resolution passed by the Berkeley City Council on June 28.

“Winning today’s vote could not be more exciting,” said REI Berkeley employee Bryn Lewin-Ofell (they/them). “We can’t wait for our store to come together and take the next step of this journey, where we get to make the changes that we need to see in our store. If you are an REI worker and you’re thinking about unionizing, get in touch with us. We’ve got your backs!”

“This opportunity to have a voice in my work world gives me great hope for all my other green vests at REI and retail workers nationally,” said REI Berkeley employee Sharon Delap (she/her). “Improving our daily experience and having our needs met by management with a union contract will help us better serve our REI community.”

“UFCW Local 5 is overjoyed to welcome our newest members from REI Berkeley,” said UFCW Local 5 President John Nunes (he/him). “These workers have chosen to band together to fight for the workplace they deserve. Their efforts, together with their colleagues in New York who organized with the RWDSU/UFCW and every REI worker who is inspired to organize their own stores, will transform REI for the better. As we move to the bargaining phase of this process, UFCW Local 5 will support these members every step of the way.”

“By winning today’s vote, REI workers in Berkeley have shown for a second time that REI workers are ready to stand shoulder-to-shoulder and fight for the future they deserve,” said UFCW International Vice President and National Strategic Retail Department Director Dave Young (he/him). “Their victory, just like REI Soho’s victory in New York, will serve as an inspiration for their colleagues across the country. Today, the UFCW is ready to help those workers build successful organizing campaigns wherever there is interest and help them fight for a stronger future together.”

REI workers are organizing with the UFCW and RWDSU nationally at a variety of locations. If your local union is interested in getting involved with this campaign, please contact your Region Director before engaging REI workers. You can learn more about the UFCW’s REI campaign here.

Last week, the UFCW and NYC Trader Joe’s Wine Shop Organizing Committee responded to the closure of New York’s only Trader Joe’s Wine Shop after workers at the store tried to unionize. Trader Joe’s employees who have been impacted by the store closure launched a community petition in an effort to fight the company’s anti-union tactics.

The UFCW and NYC Trader Joe’s Wine Shop Organizing Committee released the following joint statement:

“Today, the UFCW and Trader Joe’s employees are calling out the company’s abrupt closure of the Union Square Wine Shop location as egregious and blatant union-busting. Workers at the store are calling on Trader Joe’s to reopen the location and protect their jobs, wages, and schedules.

“The UFCW is ready to pursue all legal action, including filing charges against Trader Joe’s for their shameless union-busting. If the company retaliates further against workers involved in organizing efforts, the UFCW will aggressively pursue all legal recourse available and, if Trader Joe’s fails to meet their commitments to these workers, the UFCW will make every effort to assist workers in getting jobs in union stores. As America’s grocery and retail union, the UFCW will use every tool and resource at our disposal to protect and support every worker who has been unfairly targeted by Trader Joe’s union-busting while fighting to build a better workplace.

“Several months ago, Trader Joe’s Wine Shop employees at the Union Square location began working with the UFCW to help build an effective organizing strategy in the store and were close to publicly announcing their intention to file for a union election. In recent weeks, wine shop workers have been asked by Trader Joe’s management about their opinion on unionization efforts and believed that management was aware of their organizing efforts in the store. Trader Joe’s then abruptly closed the shop in the middle of the night without a formalized plan to open another location.

“This move came as a complete shock not only to the shop’s deeply loyal customer base but to veteran employees at the store, and followed repeated public statements from Trader Joe’s leadership that they will cooperate with stores that have chosen to unionize.

“By abruptly closing this store, it’s clear that Trader Joe’s is engaging in an illegal union-busting technique that has been utilized by other national corporations facing organizing campaigns of their own, like Starbucks and Amazon.

“Today, the Wine Shop Organizing Committee is releasing a public petition calling on Trader Joe’s to reopen the beloved Union Square Wine Shop location and, if the store does not reopen, ensure that workers are guaranteed fair placement opportunities in other stores while maintaining hours and wages. The Organizing Committee is asking for every Trader Joe’s customer and supporter to make their voices heard in support of the staff impacted by Trader Joe’s illegal union-busting.”

You can support the Trader Joe’s Wine Shop employees by signing the petition here. Trader Joe’s employees who are interested in unionizing their store can find more information about organizing resources here.