I've been a member of Touchstone Climbing and Fitness since 2008 and I am also a former employee. In these years, I've seen it grow from a small chain with five locations in total, to a 17-gym mega-company. The remarkable expansion, with plans of adding at least three more gyms, coupled with a significant increase in membership fees twice in the last 12 months, has deeply troubled me.

Touchstone is more than a gym, it's a second home to many of us. We appreciate the spaces, the opportunities to pursue our love for climbing, and the community they provide. However, we also greatly value those who make this possible - the gyms’ employees. I have come to learn that despite the company's growth and profitability, the majority of their workers are still not receiving living wages. On top of that, Touchstone reduced employee health benefits putting even more stress on a struggling workforce. Many employees report receiving pay increases that are not keeping pace with inflation and cost of living, while some employees and departments didn’t receive pay increases at all. Southern California Touchstone gyms unionized this year. After failed attempts to break down and “bust up” the union, Touchstone is now stalling negotiations and unwilling to meet their employees at the bargaining table. 

Living wages are a basic human right, which provides dignity to labor, and are crucial for employees to meet their basic necessities. Currently, in San Francisco itself, where Touchstone was born, the living wage is estimated at $29.87 per hour for a single adult, nearly double the state's minimum wage. Santa Clara County, $32.99/hr (The Studio). Contra Costa County, $29.14/hr (DRG). Alameda County, $28.55/hr (East Bay Gyms). LA County, $26.63/hr (So Cal Gyms). Sacramento County, $25.19/hr (Pipe Works). Fresno County, $22.38/hr (Metal Mark). (MIT Living Wage Calculator). Despite these numbers, our beloved gyms fall short. Even the Route Setters who create the climbs we love and the unique product the company sells, who have highly specialized skills, work at heights with power tools, and do the most physically demanding job in the gym, make well below this ideal.

Touchstone’s pay scale disproportionately benefits their shareholders. They have had decades of healthy returns and wealth accumulation, while their hourly employees and many salaried staff have had to watch their purchasing power plummet because Touchstone’s wages fail to keep pace with inflation and cost of living.  This imbalance of power makes distinct winners and losers in their corporate structure. We believe that Touchstone's success should be shared equitably among those who help make it possible. It's only fair that before any new gym is opened and any more increases to monthly memberships, all employees are guaranteed living wages that keep pace with or exceed inflation and the cost of living.

Join me, a long-time member of the Touchstone family, and the many other members and staff in urging the organization to prioritize the wellbeing of all its employees. They, who contribute so much to our passion and our community, deserve a fair wage. Please sign this petition to mandate a living wage for all employees before Touchstone expands any further.