Berkeley REI Workers Boycott Anniversary Sale

REI union workers in Berkeley are urging customers to skip the retailer’s annual Anniversary Sale as part of a broader boycott tied to stalled contract talks. The call is part of a nationwide campaign by workers at REI’s 11 unionized stores, which began on May 15 and is scheduled to run through May 25. REI Union says the action follows bargaining sessions that ended without a first contract, while REI says it has negotiated in good faith and called the boycott “disappointing.” ### Why are Berkeley workers asking shoppers not to buy during the sale? Sam Wirt, a worker at REI’s Berkeley store, said union members authorized a boycott after what the union described as cuts to benefits, starting wages and raises following an impasse in bargaining. In a March 25 union statement, Wirt said workers did not make the decision lightly and accused REI of silencing workers while rolling out benefit cuts. (kqed.org) May 20 reporting by KQED said Berkeley workers were among those escalating the boycott during REI’s biggest annual sales event. The station reported that REI has not reached contracts with any unionized stores since bargaining began in 2022. ### What exactly is the Anniversary Sale boycott? (forlocals.ufcw.org) The REI Union announced on May 4 that it would boycott the Anniversary Sale, which runs from May 15 through May 25. The union said the action came after contract negotiations concluded without what it called a fair contract offer. (kqed.org) UFCW, which backs the REI Union, said workers at the 11 unionized stores were asking shoppers not to shop either in stores or online during the sale period. The union said 70,000 REI members and shoppers had pledged to avoid the event if bargaining continued in bad faith. ### What are workers saying happened in negotiations? (ufcw.org) April 30 was the end date of the most recent bargaining round cited by the union in its boycott announcements. In statements released before and after the boycott began, UFCW said REI failed to offer a proposal until the final day of bargaining and did not send a key decision-maker, including its vice president of labor relations, to the table. (ufcw.org) Alex Pollitt, a worker at REI’s Bellingham, Washington, store and a bargaining committee member, said REI had insisted on provisions that would limit union organizing at other stores and restrict workers from speaking publicly. Those characterizations come from union statements; REI disputes the broader accusation that it has bargained in bad faith. (ufcw.org) ### How has REI responded to the boycott? REI said in a company statement that it came to bargaining prepared to negotiate in good faith and discuss the issues separating the parties. The company said the sides were unable to reach agreement and described the union-led boycott as a move that targets the co-op’s financial well-being instead of advancing negotiations. (forlocals.ufcw.org) A separate REI newsroom post dated May 15 said 11 of the co-op’s 195 stores have chosen union representation. The company said it takes collective bargaining seriously and rejected the union’s account of the negotiations. ### Why does the sale matter so much in this dispute? (rei.com) REI’s own promotional materials describe the Anniversary Sale as its biggest sale of the year. The 2026 event began on May 15 and runs through May 25, with discounts across thousands of products and extra member coupons through May 21. Because the event is one of REI’s highest-profile retail periods, union organizers have framed a customer boycott as leverage in a contract fight that has stretched on for years. (rei.com) That framing comes from the union’s public statements and organizing materials tied to the sale. (rei.com) ### What happens next? May 25 is the scheduled end of both REI’s Anniversary Sale and the union’s boycott call. As of May 20, KQED reported that no unionized REI store had reached a first contract, leaving Berkeley workers and REI management still at odds as the sale enters its final days. (rei.com) (forlocals.ufcw.org)