Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, LABOR NEWS—REI union will boycott 11 unionized stores during anniversary sale, (May 5, 2026)

By Brandi O. Brown, J.D.

UFCW announced that so far 70,000 REI workers and shoppers have pledged to boycott the sale.

REI union members and customers have declared their intention to boycott the store’s anniversary sale, which will start mid-month and last 10 days, after contract negotiations stalled in the absence of a fair contract offer after four years of an “unrelenting union-busting campaign.” Eleven unionized stores will be impacted. REI union members are represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Locals 5, 663, 700, 1208, 1445, 3000, and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).

Employer’s demands. During recent negotiations in Chicago, they claim that the employer demanded contract provisions that would prevent more REI workers from unionizing and would stop workers from speaking out publicly against the company through non-disparagement agreements. It had already proposed wage proposals that would pay workers at unionized stores less than workers at non-union REI stores during bargaining in late February, they allege.

According to the union, since the first store unionized in 2022, the employer has engaged in a “scorched-earth union-busting campaign both in-store and at the bargaining table, complete with the intimidation of workers, lies about unionization, and the termination of many vocal union supporters.”

Agreement undercut by bylaw changes. In July 2025, the employer and union agreed to establish a national bargaining structure to reach collective bargaining agreements for the unionized stores and, as part of that agreement, the employer provided wage increases and bonuses for the years 2022-2025 that the company previously withheld from workers at represented stores. However, the union alleges that as those negotiations were taking place, the employer unilaterally changed its board bylaws to allow the co-op to appoint unelected directors for a period of three years, whereas previously, directors had to be elected by co-op members. They argue this was an attempt to stifle the voices of co-op members and stakeholders.

One worker explained, “REI has refused to offer us a fair contract, despite our willingness to compromise, and instead has insisted on provisions that would prevent more workers from joining the REI Union and that would ban us from speaking out. Their anti-union stance is deeply incompatible with the values REI claims to profess. The company has left us no choice but to boycott.”

Employer’s response. For its part, REI says the planned boycott “is a disappointing move that targets the co-op” and claims that the “union’s dedication to undermining the business, puts jobs, wages, benefits, and future opportunity at risk, and pulls everyone further from the progress our employees deserve.”

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