Unionized Berkeley REI Workers Get Pay Raises After Labor Board Alleged They Were Shut Out

Following a years-long organizing effort, some workers at a Berkeley REI store are set to get retroactive pay raises and bonuses as part of a labor deal with two unions representing workers at 11 stores across the country.

The agreement reached last week between REI Co-op, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union — which represents the Berkeley workers — and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union establishes a national bargaining structure for unionized workers that provides compensation some workers previously did not receive between 2022 and 2024.

“This agreement came together because REI and the union agreed to find a new way to work together. The national bargaining structure is that way, and we believe it will make it easier to do what’s right for all REI Union members,” said Sam Wirt, a sales specialist who has worked at Berkeley’s REI store since 2020. “We’re not far away from achieving first contracts at all of our stores.”

The payout comes months after investigators from the National Labor Relations Board issued complaints that the Washington-based outdoor equipment retailer illegally excluded unionized workers at stores like the one in Berkeley from wage increases and other bonuses that were otherwise given to non-unionized employees.

Berkeley workers told KQED after NLRB issued its complaint in March that they felt REI’s alleged actions were “punishment” for unionizing. The complaint was at least one of four the Board had issued against the company at the time. And dozens of claims, alleging violations of labor laws like illegally terminating and intimidating workers, were under investigation at the time by the NLRB.

REI has denied claims that it harmed workers by excluding them from pay increases and dragging its feet on reaching a contract with workers.

In an Aug. 1 statement, the company said the agreement “reflects both sides’ commitment to finding solutions to complex issues and clears the way for continued good faith discussions toward a collective bargaining agreement.”

As part of the agreement, unfair labor practices charges with the NLRB will be dropped, according to a statement by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.

The REI union bargaining committee was supportive of the agreement, writing in a statement: “We want what’s best for all REI workers, our customers, and the co-op. This agreement is a tremendous step forward in negotiating a first contract, and we look forward to continuing to bargain with REI.”

Since 2022, 11 REI stores, including the Berkeley shop and one in Santa Cruz, have unionized, according to UFCW. This includes workers at stores in New York, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana who have also unionized in that time.

KQED’s Nibras Suliman contributed to this report.