Employees at a Patagonia store in Manhattan filed for a union election on Friday with the aim of becoming the outdoor retailer’s first unionized outlet in the eastern United States.

The filing at the SoHo shop asked the National Labor Relations Board to hold an election for 30 full- and part-time workers seeking representation from the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which has been actively organizing and representing workers at nearly a dozen REI Co-op locations nationwide, including one in the same neighborhood.

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The petitioners, the RWDSU said, join a “powerful streak of retailer organizing and contract wins in New York City and beyond.” Employees at a Patagonia store in Reno, Nev., voted to join United Food and Commercial Workers Local 711 in 2024, becoming the first Patagonia store in the country to unionize.

“Retail workers across New York are sending a clear message: essential workplace standards shouldn’t be at the whim of management—they must be guaranteed in writing by a contract,” Stuart Appelbaum, president of the RWDSU, said in a statement. “The workers at SoHo Patagonia are leaders in the outdoor industry, and we are proud to stand with them as they fight for the dignity and respect they deserve.”

In the same statement, workers at the SoHo store said that while Patagonia is known for its “progressively public image,” they want to ensure its values “translate into a real voice on the job.” They cited specific concerns over the elimination of longstanding paid-time-off policies—such as the annual week-long winter break—and the curtailment of certain healthcare benefits, tuition reimbursements and professional development opportunities, all of which they hope to address in a first union contract.

The employees also said that while Patagonia can voluntarily recognize the union at any time, it has yet to do so despite what they describe as “overwhelming” support for union representation.

“Patagonia tells the world we should ‘save our home planet,’ but we need to make sure our own workplace is sustainable for the people who run it,” Jacob Hoschoer, a customer experience guide at the SoHo Patagonia store, is quoted in the statement as saying. “We are proud of the work we do, but we need the job security and the seat at the table that only a union contract can provide. We’re asking Patagonia to live up to its mission by respecting our right to organize without interference.”

In response to the campaign, Corley Kenna, Patagonia’s chief impact and communications officer, said the company respects its employees’ right to make an informed decision about whether to form a union. The retailer, she said, supports their right to vote and wants “everyone in the store to have a voice in this important decision and to do so with all of the facts about what this means for them as we work toward an election in the coming weeks.”

Kenna said Patagonia offers a starting hourly rate of more than $28.25 for all full- and part-time New York employees, plus an annual bonus. According to ZipRecruiter, the average retail wage in New York is $18.66 per hour. The company also provides healthcare coverage for full- and part-time employees with the monthly premium fully paid, along with the “same core benefits” for every worker “from day one, regardless of level or location.”

Patagonia’s priority right now, she added, is “to understand the concerns of our SoHo team.”

For Ben Bonnema, a customer experience guide at the SoHo Patagonia store, job security is critical. He said that he’s been asking for years for “just cause” protections that require employers to provide a valid, documented reason, such as poor performance or misconduct, before firing a worker, but that “things have only gotten worse.”

“All workers deserve to have a say in their working conditions,” he said in the statement. “And it’s time we do, too.”

Like REI, Patagonia has fostered a reputation for prioritizing people and the planet over profits. In 2022, founder Yvon Chouinard and his family transferred the company’s ownership to two entities dedicated to investing the retailer’s profits in environmental causes worldwide, effectively making “Earth” the only shareholder.

On Patagonia’s website, under “valuing our people,” it writes that it believes “everyone should be fairly compensated for their work and strive[s] to pay competitive, equitable wages.” As an outdoor company, Patagonia also “encourage[s] everyone to unplug and get outside as much as possible—because sometimes the best thing we can do to thrive at work is take some time off.”

REI announced last year that it plans to close its SoHo location—its first shop to unionize in 2022—by the end of 2026 due to “evolving” market and customer needs. In January, Patagonia sued drag queen Pattie Gonia in a California federal court, claiming trademark infringement and seeking $1 in damages.