Manhattan REI store employees seek to form a union

Employees of an REI store in Manhattan filed for union elections on Friday, making the outdoor equipment and apparel retailer the latest prominent employer in the service industry whose workers have decided to unionize. 

Recently, Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama rejected a union in an election last year, though the NLRB threw out the results later. In December, Starbucks workers in Buffalo voted to unionize, making them the only company-owned Starbucks locations in the country with a union. Since then, employees at 20 other Starbucks have also filed for union elections. 

At REI in SoHo, the filing asked the labor board for an election that involves 115 employees who are seeking to be represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. This is the same union overseeing the union campaign at the Bessemer Amazon warehouse. REI employees have also asked for voluntary recognition of their union in addition to filing for the election. This would make a vote unnecessary. Like Starbucks, REI is a consumer cooperative made up of customers who buy a lifetime membership for $20. This cultivates a progressive image. REI's website says that they put "purpose before profits." 

Source: The New York Times