REI Co-op, UFCW, and RWDSU Continue Progress during October Contract Negotiations

REI Co-op and a coalition of union locals from the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) and the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU) met in Chicago, Illinois, from October 13–16 for the second bargaining session since establishing a national bargaining framework earlier this year.

Throughout the session, both parties continued productive discussions on key topics, reached additional tentative agreements, and reaffirmed their shared commitment to achieving collective bargaining agreements for REI’s 11 unionized stores.

The next bargaining session is scheduled for November 10-14, 2025 in Chicago.

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) Locals 379 and 1102.

Since 2022, 11 REI stores have voted to unionize: SoHo, N.Y., Berkeley, Calif., Cleveland, Ohio, Chicago, Ill., Boston, Mass., Durham, N.C., Maple Grove, Minn., Bellingham, Wash., Castleton, Ind., Santa Cruz, Calif., and Greensboro, N.C.