REI Workers In Cleveland Vote To Join The Retail, Wholesale And Department Store Union

The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), yesterday said that by an overwhelming majority vote, workers at REI Inc. in Beachwood, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland and the only REI location in the greater metropolitan area, have voted to join the RWDSU, making this the third unionized REI store in the country.

Workers endured an exceptionally harsh union-busting campaign that included an attempt by REI to delay the election entirely, as well as conducting intimidating one on one meetings with workers and managers, and spreading inaccurate and incomplete information with workers at daily morning huddles run by management, the RWDSU said, adding that the tactics lead to multiple Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charges against REI. Despite these alleged union-busting actions, REI Cleveland workers stood strong together and prevailed.

A delegation of workers from the Cleveland, Ohio REI store on January 11 formally filed for the right to hold a union election with the National Labor Relations Board, seeking representation with the RWDSU.

This came on the heels of two REI stores winning their union elections at the flagship in New York’s SoHo, and in Berkeley, California stores. These wins came despite REI efforts to union bust coast-to-coast, the RWDSU said.

The worker-led movement to unionize at the store in Beachwood, Ohio, had been underway for more than a year, according to the RWDSU, but workers cited the overwhelming response at REI’s SoHo flagship as the motivation they needed to move forward.

“Tonight, we can finally say that REI Cleveland is a union store,” said Nick Heilgeist, a member of the REI Cleveland organizing committee and retail sales specialist at REI. “I love working at REI, and with a seat at the table, I know we can make it better for workers and customers alike. As new members of the RWDSU, we green vests are united in our desire to create more transparent and consistent policies and a workplace that will be sustainable for workers for years to come. As we enter contract negotiations alongside our union family in SoHo and Berkeley, we’d like to remind REI that we always ‘start from a place of respect,’ and we hope they will too.”

The vote to unionize the Cleveland REI was conducted by an in-person secret ballot vote on-site at the store on yesterday, which was overseen by the Cleveland office of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

The RWDSU will represent approximately 56 workers at the outdoor sports equipment company in contract negotiations, which will begin this year. The store’s staffing, which is under its full capacity, could potentially increase that number. The store is now operating at a 60% staffing level. At full capacity, the number of employees could reach more than 70.

The workers in the bargaining unit include all non-supervisory employees at the store, which includes all full- and part-time sales specialists, technical specialists, visual presentation specialists, shipping and receiving specialists, certified technicians and mechanics, operations leads, sales leads, and shipping and receiving leads.

“We’re excited to welcome the workers of REI Cleveland into the RWDSU,” said Stuart Appelbaum, president of RWDSU. “When their employer tried to aggressively delay their election, workers walked out, and went on strike, until the employer backed-off. They have stuck together through a horrendous, relentless, and unlawful union-busting campaign and have come out the other side stronger. REI Cleveland workers will now bring their strength to the bargaining table, and we know that together they will win a strong contract.”

On February 3 at 1:30 pm ET, REI agreed to terms of an election agreement with the RWDSU and the Cleveland office of the NLRB. The agreement was met immediately following workers walking in the morning on a ULP strike demanding the right to vote in a free and fair NLRB election and for the company to stop its unlawful surveillance of workers. The workers unconditionally returned to work in the afternoon.

“On Friday, March 3, employees at our Cleveland, Ohio store participated in an in-person election to determine whether they would be represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union,” said the REI co-op in a statement in the newsroom of REI’s website. “The initial vote tally in the Cleveland election is 27 votes for union representation and 12 votes against.

“REI believes in the right of every eligible employee to vote for or against union representation,” the statement continued. “We fully supported our Cleveland employees through the vote process and we will continue to support our employees going forward as they begin to navigate the collective bargaining process.

“Together we will continue to focus on serving the Cleveland outdoor community as we have done since 2018,” the statement said.