KNOW BEFORE YOU SHOP AT REI’S NEW ITHACA STORE
REI isn’t the progressive company you think they are - they’re an anti-union employer that goes to great lengths to fight against a growing union movement.
REI is opening a new store here in Ithaca, and we know many Ithacans are excited to visit. However, our community deserves to know just how much time, energy, and money REI devotes to union busting before heading into the store this summer.
REI workers have been organizing for a better future at the Co-op since 2022, but the company’s response to unionization has been callous, undemocratic, and out-of-line with their values as a progressive employer.
If you’re disappointed by REI’s track record of anti-worker and anti-union behavior, help us stand up for REI workers here in Ithaca. We know that you care about fair treatment for hardworking people, and we have an easy way for you to lend your voice as this new store opens.
Add your name to our digital petition and call on REI to respect workers’ rights to unionize at the new Ithaca store! The more community members in Ithaca we have standing up against union busting and bad-faith bargaining, the stronger the impression we make on REI’s leadership. We can show REI we won’t stand for them interfering with workers’ rights to make an informed decision about whether a union is right for Ithaca.
REI’s Union Busting Explained
Below, you’ll find everything you need to know about REI’s continued pattern of anti-union behavior. It’s an exhaustive list, as they’ve been union busting for years and avoiding their obligation to negotiate a fair deal.
REI’s aggressive union busting recently reached a new low - we learned earlier this month that they fired a manager for failing to report union activity and “escalate the situation to the appropriate leaders in a timely manner.”
This firing makes it clear that REI doesn’t respect workers’ freedom to decide whether union representation is right for them. Instead, they’re dragging managers into the conflict, forcing them to choose between ratting out pro-union workers and keeping their jobs.