‘We really feel the power’: Durham REI workers vote to unionize after strike
This story was updated May 26, 2023 to clarify that Durham is the sixth REI Co-op to unionize.
Twenty years after the store opened, workers at the REI Co-op in Durham have voted to unionize.
Employees of the outdoor clothing and gear store voted 20-12 for union representation Thursday.
REI said two additional ballots are being challenged. The National Labor Relations Board has yet to certify the results.
“We fully supported our Durham employees through the vote process and we will continue to support our employees going forward as they begin to navigate the collective bargaining process,” REI Co-op wrote in an email late Thursday.
It is common for either the union or employer to challenge ballots for any number of reasons, the company added, stating In this case, the union and REI each challenged one ballot.
Going on strike
The Durham employees went on strike for four days earlier this month after claiming the co-op retaliated against one of the union organizers.
“Walking out of those doors together, standing out in front, talking to customers — it’s brought us even closer together,” said employee Alice Bennett. “We really feel the power of our voices right now.”
Bennett told The News & Observer they want guaranteed minimum hours and more reliable scheduling, plus better wages and expanded access to benefits. They also want the HVAC system in the store repaired.
“Benefits are decent, but they are tied to hours and when hour cuts come in, people have a fear of losing those benefits,” Bennett said.
Organizers say REI has actively worked against the union effort, by holding up employees’ pending transfers and sharing anti-union literature and sentiments.
The union filed an unfair labor practice charge against the company for allegedly putting on leave and firing an employee involved in the organizing effort.
The company denies holding up transfers and says it didn’t discipline any employees for organizing or taking interest in the union.
“In the spirit of employee privacy, we do not share details of employee disciplinary matters,” the company said earlier this month in an email signed REI Communications. “However, I can tell you that when we do take significant disciplinary action, it is only after a comprehensive investigation confirms that there have been clear violations of company policies.”
REI stores across the U.S. unionizing
The Durham store is located across Fayetteville Road from The Streets at Southpoint mall in southern Durham. It’s a co-op, or a collective owned by its members.
REI has 23 million lifetime members and 181 locations across the country that employ more than 16,000 people
The Durham workers are now part of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.
UFCW organizers said five other stores have won union elections and three more have elections scheduled.
Unionized: SoHo, New York; Berkeley, California; Cleveland, Ohio; Chicago, Illinois; and Boston, Massachusetts.
Working on it: Eugene, Oregon; Bellingham, Washington; and Maple Grove, Minnesota.
