Second Patagonia Store Moves to Join a Labor Union

February 23, 2026

Across the country, a growing number of retail workers are choosing to unionize — including many who work for some of the outdoor industry’s most celebrated brands.

On Friday, workers at a Patagonia store in Manhattan, New York, started the process of joining a labor union. A “supermajority” of the SoHo store’s roughly 30 employees signed cards indicating their desire to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).

The workers are asking Patagonia to voluntarily recognize their unionization effort. If the brand declines, the employees will hold a vote to determine whether they officially join RWDSU.

It’s only the second Patagonia store in the U.S. to move toward unionization. The first was a store in Reno, Nevada, which voted in 2024 to join the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW). Patagonia declined to recognize that union, which remains in ongoing negotiations with the company.

Workers at the Manhattan store outlined several complaints against Patagonia’s policies. Those include reversals of benefits promised upon hiring, reduced time off, inflexible scheduling, and a lack of employee protections. GEARJUNKIE