Join Us In Our
Fight to Hold REI Accountable
May 8th, 2025 UPDATE: We won REI’s Board Election
We’re thrilled to share that we WON REI’s board election and rejected their entire slate of corporate, hand-picked candidates! Turnout in this year’s election was likely the highest it’s ever been, with over 115,000 REI members across the country visiting REI’s website to submit their ballots.
This is a tremendous victory and a huge milestone moment for our campaign. With this win, we’re sending a decisive message to REI’s leadership that we won’t stand for any more corporate board members unilaterally calling the shots at our Co-op. We’re demanding better democracy and a real path for workers and members to bring meaningful changes that will guide the future of our cooperative - returning to the values that brought us to REI in the first place.
THANK YOU to every single member who voted to help us bring home this victory, and we’ll keep you posted on how you can continue to support us as we transition into this exciting new chapter for our movement!
Other Ways You can Help:
After you sign our petition, please share our information across your social media pages so we can spread the word and make sure every REI Co-op member learns what is at stake at our Co-op!
Why Thousands of Co-op Members Rejected REI's Corporate Slate
REI hires from the same union-busting law firm as President Trump
This Spring, Donald Trump nominated Crystal Carey, an attorney from Morgan Lewis, to serve as the next General Counsel of the NLRB. This means that REI is now working with the exact same law firm that Trump is using to further his agenda.
REI knows that Morgan Lewis wants to undermine workers’ rights to unionize at the Federal level, and they continue to work alongside these attorneys and retaliate against us for exercising our legal right to unionize. They’re even hoping Trump’s labor board will empower them to stall our progress even further.
REI’s continued association with Morgan Lewis is disappointing, but not surprising. It serves as another reminder of how important it is for us to keep calling the company out on their anti-worker agenda. Please add your name to our digital petition calling on REI to STOP union busting and using Morgan Lewis attorneys to undermine the rights of green vests nationwide.
Months after endorsement, REI officially retracts support for Doug Burgum
UPDATE: On April 9th, REI officially retracted their endorsement of Doug Burgum! They posted a video to their social media page where our new CEO, Mary Beth Laughton, recognized that supporting Burgum was a mistake in the first place. This comes MONTHS after Co-op members, union supporters, and activists urged REI to reconsider their endorsement of Burgum.
This is a huge step in the right direction - we’re glad that Mary Beth took accountability and admitted that Burgum’s priorities directly contradict REI’s stated values. But, there’s still a lot of work to be done. We’re excited to keep working alongside Mary Beth to further our vision for a democratic, worker-led, and climate-friendly REI.
In February of this year, REI’s leadership endorsed Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick to lead the Department of the Interior. Since joining Trump’s cabinet, Burgum has already pushed for:
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More oil and gas drilling on public land.
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A reversal of “harmful” and “coercive” Biden-era climate protections.
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Reduced accountability for mining companies that harm wildlife.
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A revision of public land protections, which could change the boundaries of our national monuments.
This endorsement was shocking, but unfortunately in-line with REI’s trend of abandoning the values that make our Co-op special. Read more about Doug Burgum’s anti-environment prioritie here.
REI eliminates its Experiences division and lays off over 400 workers
REI kicked off 2025 by closing its ‘Experiences’ division, which included guided trips and outdoor classes. This closure also resulted in the layoffs of over 400 people. The Experiences program was an invaluable offering that helped people get outside safely and foster a lifelong love for the outdoors.
Workers and members alike were deeply frustrated by this decision, as Experiences was a core program that helped set REI apart from other outdoor retailers. Instead, REI is continuing to prioritize short-term gains over its original mission. Read more about the closure of REI experiences here.
University researchers reveal serious violations in REI’s supply chain
Last December, the UMass Amherst Labor Center and the student activist group ‘Students for International Labor Solidarity’ released a report that documented egregious violations of labor rights across REI’s global supply chain. According to the report, people who make REI’s Co-op branded apparel are often subject to debt bondage, sub-poverty wages, and discrimination at the factories where they work.
These violations are incredibly concerning, and we’ve demanded REI take immediate action to address these issues. Read more about REI’s supply chain violations here.
REI removes key protective gear from NYC store
Workers from the Ski Shop at REI SoHo went on strike for 54 days after the company suddenly decided to take away respirators from shop workers around the country. REI had offered these respirators for years, so workers could stay safe while melting wax and working with hazardous chemicals in their shop, which is located in the store’s basement.
REI should never have taken away this protective equipment, and it’s a shame that workers had to go on strike for 54 days before the company finally reached an agreement with them. Read more about the SoHo Ski shop strikes here.
REI hires Morgan Lewis, an anti-worker, anti-union law firm
In the Spring of 2023, REI hired Morgan Lewis to represent them in negotiations with our union stores. Morgan Lewis is the country’s most notorious anti-union law firm: they’ve worked with Trump, Amazon, and Elon Musk’s SpaceX to curb union activity. They are currently working with Musk to undermine the constitutionality of the National Labor Relations Board.
Once REI hired Morgan Lewis, our bargaining sessions slowed to a crawl. REI stopped sending company representatives to bargaining sessions, which means workers no longer had the opportunity to negotiate with anyone who actually works at the Co-op. Read more about REI’s involvement with Morgan Lewis here.