Climbing gyms are on the rise, literally and figuratively. This fitness specialty’s end-of-2024 brick-and-mortar tally pointed toward 870 establishments in North America, up from around 400 a decade ago, according to Climbing Business Journal. The act of bringing the great outdoors into a temperature-controlled indoor environment won’t be going out of style anytime soon, and SEIU’s trendy Workers United affiliate has been circling a California-based indoor climbing wall chain while now ratcheting up the intensity.
Is Big Labor bringing tangible results for members here? Not yet. In early 2024, Workers United unionized over 25% of Touchstone Climbing’s 18 gyms and is now circling back to organize the rest in a coordinated effort. We’ll get to the new activity in a moment, but what’s important to note is that no first contract exists despite hefty negotiations and a strike.
Does this sound like shades of the Starbucks organizing campaign? Yep, Workers United is doing it again, and time will tell whether members feel buyer’s remorse or if a decertification effort will surface. In the meantime, Workers United is doing what it does best: continuing to file petitions for union votes without achieving results for existing members.
A sudden acceleration: Back in April 2024, the union managed a narrow victory (54-44) at five Los Angeles locations in one campaign. That strategy included going wall-to-wall with non-management workers, with everyone from routesetters to yoga instructors to front desk staff. This month, four more locations filed union petitions, two on July 21 and two on July 28. All four gyms (in San Francisco, San Jose, and Concord) sit in Northern California with 98 employees up for grabs by Workers United.
Geographically speaking, the union is clearly taking advantage of these locations’ close proximity, but also, wouldn’t Workers United love to brag about organizing an entire company? That appears to be the goal, and we’ll be keeping an eye on future union petitions.
Negotiations with no end in sight: Both parties agree that over a dozen bargaining sessions have not brought them closer to a first contract for those first five locations. Workers have been expressing frustration, with “stonewalling” accusations flying from Workers United. Touchstone countered with a statement that they have “absolutely not” reduced benefits or pay as alleged by the union.
Of course, this back-and-forth isn’t unusual, and on average, a first union contract takes over a year to broker following an election.
A strike and a boycott: In early April 2025, the company’s routesetters went on strike for a week in Southern California. Additionally, some clientele have vocally suspended or cancelled their memberships “in solidarity,” which sadly will not benefit anybody involved in this clash because less revenue is never great for keeping workers employed.
Conclusion: Overall, it’s fair to say that Workers United’s bluster has accomplished nothing positive at Touchstone Climbing. However, this lack of results won’t stop the union from continuing to circle like a mosquito, especially with a rising industry like indoor climbing.
