One other REI Location Has Unionized. Now Workers Have a Message for Different Areas: ‘Who’s Subsequent?’

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REI’s Berkeley, California, retailer has formally unionized after a 56-to-38 vote was licensed on August 25. With the profitable vote, Berkeley turns into the second REI location to unionize, after the Manhattan flagship retailer accomplished an identical effort in March with a wider 88-to-14 vote.

The Berkeley retailer will be part of Hayward-based United Meals and Business Employees Native 5, which represents 30,000 staff. REI’s Berkeley retailer has 116 staff who had been eligible to vote, of which 94 returned mail-in ballots to the Nationwide Labor Relations Board for counting.

On the Berkeley REI union member’s webpage, statements from staff had been posted alongside a hyperlink encouraging different REI shops to kind their very own unions.

“This chance to have a voice in my work world offers me nice hope for all my different inexperienced vests at REI and retail staff nationally,” mentioned REI Berkeley worker Sharon Delap on the positioning. “Bettering our day by day expertise and having our wants met by administration with a union contract will assist us higher serve our REI group.”

“As we have now mentioned all through this course of, REI believes in the precise of each worker to vote for or in opposition to union illustration,” REI’s company workplace mentioned in an announcement. “We totally supported the vote course of in Berkeley and can proceed to assist our staff going ahead.”

Barring objections made earlier than August 31, the vote shall be licensed and REI should begin bargaining in good religion with its Berkeley staff, in line with the NLRB.

The REI Berkeley union’s Twitter and Fb pages had been full of congratulatory messages from each prospects and staff, together with requires different REI shops to arrange.

“That is solely the start,” mentioned one Fb publish. “The true means ahead is with a union! We can not wait to hitch our siblings at @reiunionsoho. Now, who’s subsequent?”