(SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA) – The REI Union has announced Workers at REI’s San Diego Store have voted to join United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 135.

The San Diego location is REI’s third-largest in the country by revenue and the 12th and largest REI Store in the country to Unionize with the UFCW/Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) for fair pay, sustainable scheduling practices and better working conditions. 

Jae Michael, a REI worker at the Co-Op’s San Diego Store, said: “We’re so stoked to have won our Union! It’s been a long road, but we all want to make REI the best version of itself that it can be and that is what brought us to this moment. We are the ones stewarding the values of this Co-Op every single day, especially when we cannot rely on executive leadership to do the same. With our Union, we’ll have a say in the decisions that affect our jobs and our lives. When we first started to organize, I knew we were joining a nationwide movement to hold REI accountable to its green vests and Co-Op Members. I’m beyond proud to be a part of the REI Union so we can achieve that mission together.”

REI San Diego’s Union win comes days after the REI Union concluded its nationwide boycott of the company’s Anniversary Sale to demand REI bargain in good faith.

More than 70,000 Co-Op Members pledged not to shop, reportedly causing stores across the country to miss sales targets.

REI received a clear message: Shoppers support Unionized green vests’ right to a fair contract.

The REI San Diego Store is the third in California and the 12th in the country to Unionize with the UFCW/RWDSU since 2022, along with: SoHo, New York; Berkeley, California; Cleveland, Ohio; Chicago, Illinois; Boston, Massachusetts; Durham, North Carolina; Maple Grove, Minnesota; Bellingham, Washington; Castleton, Indiana; Santa Cruz, California; and Greensboro, North Carolina.

Since the first REI Store Unionized in SoHo, the REI Co-Op has engaged in a scorched-earth Union-Busting Campaign both in-Store and at the bargaining table, complete with the intimidation of Workers and lies about Unionization.

REI Union Members are represented by the UFCW Locals 5, 135, 663, 700, 1208, 1445, 3000, and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). 

To Directly Access This Labor News Story In Its Entirety, Go To: San Diego REI Workers Win Union Election— Becoming the Largest Unionized Store in the Country  - The United Food & Commercial Workers International Union | The United Food & Commercial Workers International Union