Hello everyone!

I hope your holidays were wonderful. Just after Christmas we reached over 1,000 signatures on this petition. Thank you so much for your support and we ask that you please continue to support this petition and the staff of Touchstone as they start negotiating for better wages.

A lot has happened since my last update. As I said Touchstone reached out to me and gave me a well crafted and thoughtful response. I contemplated sending it out for the petition signers to read, but after some reflection and counsel with trusted stake holders, I decided against it. I don’t want to be a spokesperson for Touchstone and I should not be making public statements on their behalf. If they want to respond to this petition publicly they can do so themselves.

Part of their response was justifying why they can’t give their staff living wages. Though their excuses may have some semblance of validity, Touchstone has gotten away with cheap labor for far too long. There is a long history of people who have felt let down and exploited by their business model. Touchstone’s justifications do not soften me to the “plight” of being a multimillion dollar company. Rapid turn over, exploitation of labor, and suppressing wages across departments needs to end before they expand more and recruit the next generation of labor. There will always be young, passionate climbers, who find working in a climbing gym alluring, and Touchstone will continue to take advantage unless we stop them. Workers will never have the power to negotiate if Touchstone always has a continuous stream of labor that will do the same job for cheaper. This is also why there are lapses in the quality of service. Once experienced and skilled workers become dissatisfied with conditions, the next group of workers comes in to take their place.

Another part of their response is trying to correct some of the information I had in my petition. They claim that some numbers were wrong or that I had bad information. Though I did give them the courtesy of changing the petition, I am going to also trust the information that has been given to me by employees. Hourly employees, salaried employees, and even Touchstone leadership disclosed this information to me and I am going to believe them. If there’s a discrepancy in the information, Touchstone can clarify it with the employees at the bargaining table. The summary of their reply is they don’t exploit everyone, workers aren’t exploited equally, and there are reasons why they exploit the people that they do.  This petition is demanding the end of exploitation: no excuses, no exemptions. 

More exciting news is that I connected with Touchstone Workers United. If you don’t know already, Southern California Touchstone gyms unionized! Touchstone employed numerous union busting strategies, as well as tried to prevent the expanding of the union to Northern California and the satellite gyms. By divine intervention or coincidence, the week that I started this petition, Union reps were visiting Bay Area gyms to pull the Bay Area into negotiations. The staff and members that support this petition are now in communication and working together. I’m also in communication with Touchstone Workers United to help this petition go from just being informative to producing lasting results. Touchstone employees are talking, gyms and departments across the state are organizing, exciting things are around the corner and we still need your support!

Many people have asked me about a strike, potential boycotts, freezing their accounts, all manner of action against Touchstone, but we are currently standing by and letting the Union and the staff let us know how the negotiation process goes. Touchstone said they wouldn’t go to the bargaining table in December. So we’ll give them more time. The Bay Area gyms need time to organize, connect with Touchstone Workers United, and come up with terms and conditions, but all signs are pointing to a resolution in the New Year. Gym managers, share holders, company directors and heads of department are in communication with me, and they are also in communication with their staff and the Union. I believe that there are good faith conversations and negotiations happening. Until the staff or the Union tell me otherwise, I will continue to share this petition and support the workers as they negotiate for better conditions before taking any further action. The sad reality is that if Touchstone doesn’t go to the bargaining table and does not change its business model, social justice and labor advocates are collectively going to leave Touchstone. Climbers don’t want to support an anti-union, anti-labor company in California. 

Now we are sharing this petition with all gym managers. Please reach out to employees and gym managers.  Ask if they support this petition and if they are sharing it amongst their staff and members. I believe that we’ll get 1000 more signatures early in the New Year with your continued support and engagement. 

Thank you so much for your support. You are helping to change lives and make a lasting impact in your community.

With Gratitude and in Solidarity,
Morgan McGehee

Get involved and join the conversation!

IG: @touchstoneworkersunited

X: @tsworkersunited

Email: TouchstoneWorkersUnited@gmail.com

https://www.reddit.com/r/bouldering/s/hov1ETizze