Union workers fighting for a fair contract at Recreational Equipment, Inc. Boston are drawing support from the state's growing worker co-op community.

REI is the largest customer co-op brand, but many worker-owned co-ops say it has failed to live up to its stated values or bargain in good faith.

Union member and REI Boston worker Sam Gilbert said workers need a greater say in scheduling, training, and a living wage.

"I see all of those as being progressive changes that we can do within the union," said Gilbert, "and in doing so we can really help REI out, too."

Gilbert said he's grateful for the backing of fellow unions and worker co-ops, especially following the loss of five senior co-workers.

REI maintains their dismissals were not related to union activities, and that it's committed to the contract negotiation process.

The union campaign at REI is part of a nationwide surge in retail labor organizing, that began during the pandemic as workers rallied for higher wages and improved safety conditions.

Michael Brennan, projects coordinator with the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives, said it was important that members show solidarity with union workers - based on their shared value of workplace democracy.

"We're building connections between co-operators and workers at their local REI store," said Brennan, "so that they can help show up for any kind of pickets or rallies, or just meet for coffee and be a moral support."

Brennan said about fifty co-ops have signed onto a petition, calling on REI to respect its workers and reach a fair, first contract by the end of the year.

Union and co-op members say their common goals are ultimately good for business. State lawmakers agree and have created a new state agency to help facilitate their development.

Sarah Assefa, organizer with the Coalition for Ownership and Power, said the agency can provide the grant and loan guarantees as well as technical help to get started.

"There tends to be quite a bit of state infrastructure to support lots of the business world," said Assefa, "but it would be great to see even more state infrastructure to support worker-owned businesses - because it is such a special model."

Lawmakers have allocated nearly $700 million to help build a network of worker-owned co-ops across the Commonwealth.

Assefa said that means more businesses will reinvest in their own communities rather than simply extract from them.





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In January, low-wage workers in Pennsylvania will be missing out on pay hikes seen in 23 other states.

Neighboring states such as Ohio are starting the new year with higher minimum wages.

Gillian Kratzer, deputy director of the advocacy group Better Pennsylvania, said House Democrats are concerned about raising the minimum wage, which has been $7.25 since 2009. She argued a better economy requires people to have money to spend.

"When you are living not just at minimum wage but even within some distance above it, you do not have money to spend, you are living paycheck to paycheck," Kratzer pointed out. "Last year in the Pennsylvania budget, Democrats, along with Gov. Shapiro, pushed very hard to pass a budget that would help people in Pennsylvania."

Kratzer emphasized it is up to the General Assembly to set the minimum wage. She added the state House passed House Bill 1500, legislation to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026. The idea has bipartisan support but the Senate has not yet acted on a similar bill, Senate Bill 1186.

President-elect Donald Trump recently told NBC the current rate of $7.25 is "a very low number" and he would consider raising it. Kratzer stressed increasing the minimum wage in Pennsylvania would also help businesses to thrive.

"One of the things that it does for businesses is it helps decrease turnover," Kratzer observed. "Turnover is a really big problem, because when you hire a new employee, you have to train that new employee. Decreasing turnover by paying a wage that people can live on means that you're keeping employees."

Kratzer added the notion raising the minimum wage will lead to business closures is not supported by evidence.

According to the legislation tracking website Ballotpedia, 23 states are set to increase their minimum wages by an average of 75 cents, with bordering state Ohio seeing a 25-cent increase. New York State will raise its minimum wage by 50 cents to $16.50.

Goodwill of Southern Nevada is most known for its thrift stores and donation centers and is also instrumental in getting Nevadans trained and hired by local employers.

Bryan Fukuzawa, vice president of mission programs for Goodwill of Southern Nevada, said its train-to-hire programs are good at getting Nevadans into in-demand fields like health care and entertainment. He added their medical assistant, certified nursing assistant, phlebotomy and stagehand training programs prepare people for employment in local industries within about three months.

"Of course we want people to come in with as many qualifications as they can. It makes it easy for us," Fukuzawa acknowledged. "But it doesn't really matter where somebody comes from, we will help them find employment no matter what that looks like. A big part of our mission and our vision is to help people with upward mobility as well."

Fukuzawa noted to qualify for the free training programs, Nevadans must have proper legal documentation to work in the U.S. and meet certain income requirements. Fukuzawa emphasized the programs are year-round, and funding comes from retail revenue, grants and monetary donations.

Fukuzawa pointed out Goodwill of Southern Nevada also offers training programs for those with disabilities. He stressed it is all about assessing an individual's skill level and then finding the best fit.

"Some people will be ready for competitive employment, some people may need some supportive employment or maybe they have a job coach working with them," Fukuzawa observed. "Maybe they're not ready for competitive employment and we can do other things to help them get prepared or help them with the experience of work."

Fukuzawa called the disability training programs "transformative" and encouraged anyone who might need assistance reaching their career goals to reach out for help.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


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As families across the country prepare to celebrate the holiday season, the joy of decorating a Christmas tree is a time-honored tradition.

But the story behind the trees is often overlooked, revealing a labor-intensive industry supported by immigrant workers who face difficult conditions to bring a holiday centerpiece into our homes.

Virginia ranks as one of the nation's top producers of Christmas trees, with thousands of workers tending to the trees year-round.

Manuel Gago Silcox, co-director of the Worker Justice Program at the Legal Aid Justice Center, said many workers are on H2A agricultural visas, traveling from Mexico and Central America for seasonal work.

"The conditions are, in the workplace, dangerous," Gago Silcox emphasized. "There's a lot of accidents because the tools they use are sometimes - like the area, like on the hills - they're moving like a big tree sometimes, so it's a lot of that."

Compounding the challenges is a systemic issue: Virginia's farmworkers are excluded from the state's minimum wage laws. In March, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed a bill which sought to extend minimum wage protections to farmworkers, a policy many view as a relic of the Jim Crow era. Youngkin argued the legislation was unnecessary.

Gago Silcox pointed out the dangers for migrant workers do not end in the field, as many workers are isolated in the hills, disconnected from their families for the months they arrive for temporary work and living in substandard housing.

"You need to share the kitchen with 10, 13 people and sometimes you don't even need to have a real bathroom," Gago Silcox observed. "You can use a portable toilet outside and that's OK for the regulations, so the housing conditions are very hard for the workers."

Gago Silcox hopes for future policy changes to ensure migrant farmworkers receive proper protections and fair wages. In the meantime, he encouraged consumers to make informed and intentional choices when selecting a Christmas tree.

He recommended researching tree farms and choosing smaller operations where you can observe their processes and learn how they treat their workers.

"Be thankful for the work that the farmworkers that came to this country, the sacrifice they have, not only for their families," Gago Silcox urged. "Because, at the end, those sacrifices end in having our Christmas tree in the living room this year."


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