Rei soho strike

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 rei soho strike have value and deserve respect.

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. The union filed charges of unfair labor practices against REI and created an online petition with 5, people supporting their demand for restored pay.

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. Actors , nurses , baristas , delivery drivers , and teachers have also unionized in recent years for better pay and fair treatment. This year-long contract had guaranteed employees the same wages as other locations — solely on the condition that they would withhold their right to strike. The afternoon the contract expired, their wages were once again cut. In response, the union held its second walkout to protest for fair treatment and wages on September 9. REI had been deemed an essential store due to its bike shop, which was crucial for delivery service, and therefore stayed open indefinitely throughout the majority of quarantine and onward. Progressively branded companies have been criticized for marketing tactics like greenwashing, where they intentionally market an inclusive, environmentally friendly image to bolster sales. However, companies like REI have struggled to maintain this image in the face of labor disputes. I think REI and our interests are basically, diametrically opposed right now.

Since then, at least seven other REI locations voted to form unions.

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 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 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. Since the SoHo store's vote, seven more stores across the U. Pro-union workers have formally accused the company of breaking labor laws — threatening and intimidating workers, disciplining and firing organizers — which REI denies. More than a year into it, workers and the company are nowhere close to a collective bargaining contract.

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Facebook Twitter Instagram Feed. However, companies like REI have struggled to maintain this image in the face of labor disputes. American theater is in a state of financial crisis , and Working Theater is no exception. The play is being directed by Colm Summers, the artistic director of Working Theater, which focuses on theater by and about working people. Workers allege that the pay cut amounted to a 20 percent loss of income for some employees; in September, they once again walked out. 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. Summers said that he is determined to make the company more involved in grassroots organizing efforts. We are unionizing at REI! Ready to start a union at your REI store? This means WE are the union. But our union continues to ramp up our resistance: walking out on ULP strikes, hosting union office hours in the break room, speaking out about unsafe working conditions in stores, and radically supporting each other. We know that as workers at REI, we are at the center of what makes our stores great. 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. Your email address will not be published. Be required to have union representation in your conversations with management.

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.

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. However, companies like REI have struggled to maintain this image in the face of labor disputes. Next post New student space revealed amidst campus enhancements. Read more…. REI Boston is Unionizing! Learn More. In fact, the story of progressive companies turning on their workers when they try to organize has become commonplace. Read the Full Article Here. I feel honored to join this growing movement. American theater is in a state of financial crisis , and Working Theater is no exception. Our hard work and expertise have value and deserve respect. We believe that the REAL way forward is with a union and that no matter where you work, you and your coworkers should have a say in how your store is run. 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 Summers said that he is determined to make the company more involved in grassroots organizing efforts.