On May 23rd, workers at the REI store in Durham celebrated the one-year anniversary of their vote to unionize with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1208. The REI employees held a rally at six o'clock on Thursday that was joined by dozens of community supporters, including Durham City Council member Nate Baker.
The rally was held in front of the REI store, located in the Renaissance Center on Fayetteville Street. Heavy rain swept in just as the event began but nobody seemed to mind. The REI workers gave heartfelt speeches about better pay and conditions in sopping wet clothing, and perhaps the strongest speech came from a worker whose printed remarks turned to soggy mush in their hands. The crowd included families with small children, who reached out from beneath the umbrellas to feel the rain.
UFCW 1208 made it clear they were focused on one demand – that the outdoor retailing company bargain in good faith and sign a fair contract with its 10 unionized stores. The REI Union was established in March 2022, but since then REI has stonewalled on negotiating a union contract. Mitchell Murphy, senior sales specialist at REI Durham, said the following at Thursday’s rally:
“One year ago, we did something historic here at REI Durham. We stood up for ourselves and our fellow workers and told REI that we deserve to have a real impact in our workplace. We deserve the ability to make positive changes in our workplace through the required process of the company coming to the table we have built, and bargaining with us over changes that both sides want to make to our combined operations and working conditions.”
The sun emerged at 6:30 p.m. and the rally-goers stowed their umbrellas and ponchos. As the speeches continued, the REI workers explained how the company has shifted away from full-time employment, preferring to hire part-time workers without enough pay or training.
UFCW 1208 talked about the unique needs of REI customers. One may need to know how to fix their custom-made mountain bike, another might ask what to bring for a hike up Kilimanjaro. Yet, the company has cut trainings where workers get to take part in such outdoor adventures, leading to a drop in customer service that erases the benefits of the cost savings.
Si-Hua Chang, sales specialist at REI Durham, also spoke at the May 23rd rally:
“I’m confident that REI workers’ efforts to make our voices heard will prevail over REI’s attempts to silence us. We are so proud of the movement we are building, and we look forward to welcoming many more REI stores into the REI union. We are also incredibly grateful for the support of our Durham community, especially from REI members and from our siblings in unions across Durham and the triangle.”
The first REI store to unionize was a New York City location that won its NLRB election in March 2022. As the REI Union grew over the next two years, the outdoor retailer has retaliated with a wave of firings against pro-union workers, often on the flimsiest pretexts. The company has also retained Morgan Lewis, a notorious anti-union law firm, for its union-busting drive. Anti-union consultants make hundreds of dollars an hour in their repellent trade, while the REI workers they're attacking make a fraction of that.
Despite all challenges, Thursday's one-year anniversary rally at the Renaissance Center was upbeat and optimistic. People driving by honked to show support for UFCW 1208, and each time the crowd cheered in appreciation. After the speeches, the REI workers talked and laughed with supporters from Durham Association of Educators, C.A.U.S.E., Southern Workers Assembly, and other pro-worker groups. The workers handed out slices of cake and cookies decorated with REI Union colors.
In their remarks, one of the REI workers wondered if the highly-paid REI executives and Morgan Lewis mercenaries were watching the social media feed from the May 23rd rally. If so, the message from the Bull City was clear - stop union-busting and start negotiating in good faith.
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