REI Co-op's COVID Response List of Demands

Sign This Petition

Phone Number
Are you an REI Co-op employee? * Yes No
If so, at what store do you work?
Are you an REI Co-op member? * Yes No

- You may receive email updates from REI Co-op Workers and Members for Fair COVID-19 treatment, the sponsor of this petition.
- Edit Subscription Preferences Close Preferences
- - Opt in to email updates from REI Co-op Workers and Members for Fair COVID-19 treatment

REI Co-op's COVID Response List of Demands

REI Co-op Board of Directors; Eric Artz

REI Co-op is a different kind of company. We’ve always been a values-led organization, and our culture comes to life when those values are put into action. Lloyd and Mary Anderson started REI with a mission to inspire, outfit, and educate others for a life outdoors. To that end, they adopted an economic philosophy based on the idea that we go further together. Since 1938 we’ve continued to choose this uncommon path because it inevitably leads us to the right decisions - to places that other businesses that focus solely on profit wouldn’t go. Sometimes it’s not easy to conduct business in a way that benefits everyone, but starting from a place of respect has always been the first step.

REI Co-op can’t achieve great things without great people. Without hourly workers The Co-op would not be able to invite thousands of new members to join every year, those members would not be educated or outfitted, shelves would not be stocked, in-store experiences would not be provided, online orders would not be processed and shipped, and community partners would not be connected. We are the heart and soul of this co-op, and in return the decision makers owe us respect and fair treatment in the workplace. In recognizing these facts, The Co-op must support us through the unprecedented health and economic crisis brought on by COVID-19.

We love our work and believe in The Co-op’s mission to make a life outdoors accessible to all people. As employees, we’ve been asked to give our very best, to go above and beyond. Now we are asking for the same in return.

Sponsored by

REI Co-op Workers and Members for Fair COVID-19 treatment

To: REI Co-op Board of Directors; Eric Artz
From: [Your Name]

We demand:

1. Guaranteed emergency pay for ALL employees for the duration of the pandemic- every part-time worker deserves 20 hours of pay or their rolling average leading up to the outbreak, WHICHEVER IS GREATER. Every full-time employee should also continue to receive their regular pay.

2. Access to health insurance coverage for EVERY employee through REI, regardless of the amount of time they’ve been with the company.

3. Stores remain closed to customers for the duration of the crisis - we need REI to commit to guaranteeing our safety as recommended by health professionals, even if not legally required to. We hold ourselves to a higher standard.

4. A seat at the table - the decisions that our company must make in the coming weeks will disproportionately affect the hourly workers in the retail stores and distribution centers across this country. For that reason, hourly employees must have a voice in this process. We demand the right to elect representatives from amongst ourselves who will participate in all meetings and discussions about the steps REI is taking to address this crisis going forward.

It takes courage to embrace big challenges and achieve real results. History will remember the institutions who were committed to people over profits during this pandemic. Let's make sure REI embraces its tenet of living up to a higher standard by implementing these policies immediately.