Sustainable Jobs for a Sustainable Planet: SoHo Patagonia Workers File for Union Election
For decades, the name “Patagonia” has been synonymous with environmental activism and corporate responsibility. But for the workers at the company’s flagship SoHo store in New York City, the brand’s famous motto “We’re in business to save our home planet” has started to feel like it’s missing a crucial component: the sustainability of the workers themselves.
Tired of watching their benefits erode and their workplace culture shift toward a standard corporate model, the workers at the SoHo location have officially filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). They are seeking to join the RWDSU, a move that would make them the first unionized Patagonia location in the Eastern United States.
The organizing drive began after workers noticed a steady decline in the standards that once made the store a premier place to work. From the elimination of the annual paid winter break to cuts in healthcare and the removal of tuition reimbursement, staff say the Patagonia culture they loved was being dismantled from the top down.
“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,” said Jacob Hoschoer, a Customer Experience Guide at the SoHo Patagonia store. “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.”
The workers aren't just looking to get back what was lost; they are fighting for a future where their rights are guaranteed in writing. Workers filed for their election citing the elimination of longstanding PTO policies, such as the annual week-long winter break, cutting of certain healthcare benefits, the removal of tuition reimbursements, and an erosion in professional development opportunities.
The SoHo filing is the latest victory in a massive wave of retail organizing sweeping through New York City. These workers are not alone; they join a growing family of RWDSU members at REI, Barnes & Noble, McNally Jackson, and Goods for the Study.
For Ben Bonnema, another Customer Experience Guide, the goal is simple: a say in the future. “Job security is important to me,” Bonnema said. “All workers deserve to have a say in their working conditions, and it's time we do, too.”
As workers await the election, they are standing strong, reminding the company, and the retail world, that you can't have a sustainable business without a sustainable, unionized workforce.