Amid growing interest in unionization, outdoor retailer REI has seen several of its stores move in that direction.
But earlier this year, a group of workers at Austin’s downtown REI location presented a letter to store management accusing the store of using disciplinary action to intimidate workers involved with union activity – also known as union busting.
Similar crackdowns have been reported at other stores with union movements. Employees in Austin also accuse REI management of disregarding reports of workplace sexual harassment.
While the Austin workers have yet to hold a union vote, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union filed unfair labor practice charges against REI with the National Labor Relations Board. The board’s investigation is ongoing.
In a statement to Texas Standard, REI said it condemns all forms of sexual harassment and has policies and procedures to keep workers safe. The statement also said any terminations are based on existing company policy, and that union involvement is not a factor.
To provide us with the employee perspective, Audrey Goff joined Texas Standard. She’s a worker and union committee member at the downtown Austin REI. Listen to the interview above or read the transcript below.
This transcript has been edited lightly for clarity:
Texas Standard: Audrey, there are two issues at stake here. There is the union busting that you accuse REI of, and also the failure to address sexual harassment. Are the same people being targeted here by disciplinary actions from REI or are these separate issues?
Audrey Goff: The people who are being affected are definitely the same.
A lot of the initial sexual harassment happened before the union effort. So it was the people who were affected by that who were the initial starters of the union movement. They realized that our managers in our store and the corporate system doesn’t really have a system in place that protects employees right now. Or if they do have a system, it’s not being enforced.
You told our producer you experienced sexual harassment firsthand while working at REI. Do you feel comfortable talking a little bit about that and how your supervisors handled it?
I had a coworker last year who made some uncomfortable comments to myself and other coworkers. At the time, I didn’t feel like anything would change if I said anything. I did talk to my department lead about it, and she brought it up to my manager.
The conversation we had was me asking if I could not be scheduled one-on-one with this person. Their comments have made me really uncomfortable. I know they’ve made other people uncomfortable. They’re making customers uncomfortable.
And then it just sort of fizzled out and nothing ever really changed. So I just had to dread coming into work and being one-on-one with this person until they eventually left.
Well, I understand there’s been a significant amount of turnover at the store since the union activity began. Has that affected the motivation or the process of seeking unionization?
It’s definitely set us back. I mean, it’s hard to unionize when you’re losing the team of people that are working on it.
But I think the motivation is still really strong because we still see the same issues happening. And we still need to do things to protect each other.
Have you seen a change in the way REI has been enforcing employee policies? I guess first, was there a change when the union effort started, and then was there another change after the letter was delivered?
There definitely seems to have been a change. When I first started at REI, I said word-for-word, “it’s impossible to get fired here.” There were policies in place, but they weren’t really being enforced.
And then as soon as the union effort started and we delivered the letter, it was an immediate change. We weren’t really made aware that policies were going to be very harshly enforced. They just suddenly were.
Do you feel optimistic about the investigation with the National Labor Relations Board, or about the the efforts to continue to unionize?
I definitely feel optimistic. I can see that unionizing has lit a spark in myself and a lot of my coworkers and just how we care for each other. There’s definitely a really strong support system in our store that wasn’t there before.
REI’s full statement to Texas Standard:
We appreciate you reaching out and giving us the chance to comment on this story. You may attribute the following to a company statement.
At REI, we adamantly oppose and condemn all forms of sexual harassment. We have robust policies and procedures — including an anonymous call-in hotline — in place to safeguard our employees, and any allegations of such misconduct are taken seriously. The co-op is dedicated to creating a safe and inclusive environment for everyone in our stores.
REI investigated the complaint Ms. Goff brought forward. While REI does not share details or comment on employee disciplinary manners, the individual in question no longer works at REI.
All terminations result from a comprehensive investigation, unrelated to whether the employee was involved with the union. Individual employee union interest or activity is not a factor in disciplinary decisions, which are based wholly on existing company policy.
