REI Union Votes to Boycott Anniversary Sale in Response to Benefits, Wage Cuts

March 25, 2026

After several years of struggling to turn a profit, REI Co-op will reduce benefits for its employees, as well as the starting pay for new hires. The retailer confirmed the news to GearJunkie after Bloomberg reported last week on an internal memo from REI’s CEO.

Scaled-back benefits include slower accrual of vacation days, switching from guaranteed retirement contributions to a “company match,” and changing sick days from an across-the-board policy to one that “aligns” state by state with what is legally required, according to a memo from REI CEO Mary Beth Laughlin. REI will also reduce wages for new hourly employees, with lower starting salaries for workers hired after July 1. Pay for current employees “will not be impacted,” REI told GearJunkie.

The news prompted REI Union — a group representing 11 unionized REI stores — to announce a boycott of the retailer’s upcoming Anniversary Sale in May. Unionized employees said that REI “walked away” from negotiations in February, and that they would end the boycott if REI agreed to a contract.

An REI spokesperson called the union’s announcement “disappointing.”

“Actions like this aimed at weakening the business can have real, lasting consequences, and put the jobs, wages, benefits, and future opportunities employees depend on at risk,” the spokesperson told GearJunkie in an email. “This certainly seems to undermine the very outcomes the union says it is focused on.” GEARJUNKIE