REI’s Labor Fight Is a Test of Co-op Trust

I am always skeptical about this guy because he promotes heavy gear, but he gives his take on REI and at 5:40 goes into the whole union thing. He also basically says REI caters to wealthy elites and delves into politics when they shouldn’t, however I believe his assertion that their prices are too exorbitant has started to turn around. The sale they just had featured a lot of unbeatable prices on top quality gear.

Let’s call it what it is. Some greedy corporate types saw REI as a potential golden goose of bonuses and lucrative salaries. They wormed their way in saying they were going to expand REI, but instead, slowly took it over with questionable Board practices. They are doing everything co-op members hate about corporations. I hope the leadership remembers what happen to Target, which has a very diverse customer base. What does REI think is going to happen when it pisses off a customer base of granola munching, tree hugging environmentalists? To be clear, we support REI, we do NOT support the current crop of greedy executives that want to turn REI into the Walmart box store of outdoor gear.

As a lifelong granola-creating (and munching), tree and rock hugging, committed conservationist, I agree – we don’t want REI to turn into a Walmart of gear. And it isn’t, as far as I can see. I hate the new benefits offerings though, they really suck. Less vaca, less wellness, less money to allow the worker bees the opportunity to some day stop working. It all sucks, it’s honestly pathetic. Why are we the older generation allowing our entire society to screw over young people and give them zero hope for the future? for greed? We got ours and now you can’t have any? What is wrong with our country? Does no one think of anything except, doesn’t affect me so I don’t care? And what pigs the execs are, truly. Yuck.

Thanks Ryan for sharing the info with us. Also joined in 1989! At least that’s what my online account says. But I remember shopping there way before then. The Minnesota store was a little grungy, with all the outdoor stuff no one else had. Kid in a candy shop.

Interesting stuff. Yes, questionable Board practices are always a risk.

But tell me: what does the REI Constitution say? Or Articles of Association?

I ask, because I was once involved in a power struggle over a very large and moderately affluent Society, where the (residual) Board members did not want to lose power and refused to acknowledge the results of a recent correctly-called Board Election. So I organised an Annual General Meeting (which was overdue by almost a year). Our Constitution stated, very clearly, that a vote at a properly-called AGM had the final authority, even over the Board.
I moved that ‘this AGM remove the current Board, who ever they were, and elect a new Board at this meeting.’
Detail: I had proxies from something like 80% of the known membership in my hand.

If there really is a problem in the eyes of the membership, can the membership of REI do something similar?

Cheers

Also joined in 1989

Costco charges yearly. Amazon monthly. REI, once and done. Designed to fail. It might take 50 years, but it’s unsustainable. It’s a quasi pyramid.

Separate from the employee issues, which at least as my friend who is currently employed there says are not good conditions at his store-bad management, not interested in putting experienced employees in the departments they are experts in, etc. I read a comment from another employee who summed it up perfectly IMO-‘They have managed to alienate their entire customer base, which is extremely hard to do.’