REI Workers in Manhattan File to Form Company’s First Union

The building that REI occupies in SoHo has some of the nicest penthouses on top. It's also a gorgeous building that costs a pretty penny. REI, like a lot of others in that area, use the store as a billboard to keep it top of mind. They won't last much longer there, and their employees efforts would be better spent looking for work elsewhere.

Link - https://www.6sqft.com/two-puck-building-penthouses-list-for-...

Do you know the difference between a member coop and a worker coop?

REI is technically a member coop, so members (shoppers) are privileged to some of their profits. Members are also entitled to a vote for the board - but as far as I’ve ever seen this is a sham (two people running for two positions… can’t lose)

But a member agreement has very little to do with how workers are treated.

A “worker coop” might be what you’re thinking of - where all the employees collectively own the business and have some say in how the business is run. (Though how much say varies depending on the coop).

REI is not a worker owned coop. And whatever “member owned” coop benefits they have are basically a sham in my opinion. It’s basically a loyalty fee - like a Sam’s club membership except you only have to pay it once - meaning that your membership at REI is probably less valuable than your membership at Sam’s club.