REI workers walk out of Orange store amid union fight

ORANGE, Ohio — Workers at the REI Co-op in Orange went on strike Friday morning, leaving their shift in the middle of a hearing between the retail workers union and the company.

Workers announced on Jan. 11 that they had filed for a union election, and are looking to be represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. A hearing in front of the National Labor Relations Board was scheduled for Friday.

That hearing involved an election date, and how many employees would be in the bargaining unit. The RWDSU said earlier this week that REI was trying to exclude certain employees — like bike-shop mechanics and “casual” employees” from the union.

REI has also been accused by the the union of surveilling employees, and the RWDSU filed an unfair labor practice.

The union sent a statement to the media Friday, saying workers left their shifts in a strike. The employees are " demanding the right to vote in a free and fair NLRB election and for the company to stop its union busting.”

In a statement to cleveland.com, REI said a number of employees chose to walk off the job before the store opened. REI said it would reopen Friday afternoon and stay open until 7 p.m.

Since Monday, the union has lobbied allegations at REI. The company and union didn’t come to a stipulated agreement, which would have expedited the normal process of setting up a union election.

“It is not clear why union organizers have sought to inflame tensions around the routine legal process between REI, the RWDSU and the NLRB,” REI said in a statement.

REI’s store in Orange has 55 workers. It’s on Harvard Road east of Interstate 271, near the border of Orange, Beachwood and Highland Hills.

REI is a national retailer that sells outdoor gear for things like camping, hiking and climbing. Stores in California and New York have already won union elections. REI is organized as a retail cooperative and is owned by its members.

In an earlier statement, REI said it supported employee’s right to unionize.

“As always, the decision to be represented by a union is up to our employees—not the REI leadership team, Board of Directors or anyone else,” a statement sent to cleveland.com said. “We believe in the right for every employee to vote for or against union representation and would fully support the petition process and vote in Cleveland.”