Meanwhile, organizers have ramped up activism at the country\u2019s biggest gyms, Movement and Touchstone, which each have 9 unionized locations but zero contracts signed. We\u2019ve witnessed the first routesetter strike<\/a>, a wave of new Unfair Labor Practice charges<\/a>, a handful of \u201cpractice picket\u201d demonstrations<\/a>, and one membership freeze<\/a> campaign. And more than 2,000 gym employees and supporters have signed a petition to mandate living wages<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now, the pressure is intensifying\u2014and some organizers want the rest of the climbing industry to step in. On May 13, the International President of Workers United, Lynne Fox, sent a letter to Marc Norman, the CEO of USA Climbing, asking that the national governing body for U.S. competitive climbing require all partner facilities to uphold collective bargaining rights as a condition of hosting future events. Then, on July 10, Fox sent a similar letter to The North Face, specifically asking the brand to cut ties with Movement\u2019s 32 gyms ahead of the company\u2019s multi-city \u201cGlobal Climbing Day<\/a>\u201d event on July 18.<\/p>\n Inside the union letter to USA Climbing<\/p>\n Writing on behalf of more than 1,200 staff members at 30 unionized gym locations, Fox cited the International Olympic Committee (IOC)\u2019s Strategic Framework on Human Rights and the Olympic Charter. She wrote that both of these documents \u201cmandate respect for internationally recognized labor rights,\u201d including the right to collective bargaining.<\/p>\n She urged USA Climbing to require compliance with a number of conditions in order for gyms to host competitions. Namely, she said these host gyms should be required to provide safe working conditions, offer equitable scheduling and workloads, demonstrate good-faith bargaining with union representatives, and respect workers\u2019 rights to organize and bargain without delay tactics or retaliation, among other protections.<\/p>\n \u201cThese standards are not merely advisory; they are fundamental to the integrity and the legitimacy of any sport that participates in the Olympic movement,\u201d Fox wrote in her letter.<\/a> \u201cUSA Climbing has both an obligation and a clear interest in ensuring the facilities it partners with meet these requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n Then she called out two giants of the industry. Fox wrote that Movement and Touchstone\u2014the largest and third-largest gym developers in America, respectively\u2014were \u201cnot bargaining in a timely and good-faith manner.\u201d She compared them to VITAL and Vertical Endeavors, which she said \u201chave respected labor law.\u201d<\/p>\n In response to Climbing\u2019s request for comment, Movement\u2019s Chief Marketing Officer, Charlotte Bosley, wrote in an email, \u201cMovement continues to participate in collective bargaining through the established legal process, meaningfully engaging at each negotiation table in every unionized location.\u201d Bosley confirmed that the bargaining is ongoing, including at the first-unionized location, Movement Crystal City in Virginia. The most recent bargaining session was on June 10, according to the company.<\/p>\n Touchstone stated that the reason for its bargaining delay is the \u201copen dispute\u201d over whether its Bay Area gym unions will bargain as one unit, like the Los Angeles area gyms, or as multiple units.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the reason for the pause, and it\u2019s the issue the appeal will resolve,\u201d Jeffrey Bowling, Touchstone\u2019s creative and business development director, wrote to Climbing. \u201cWe work with Workers United almost on a weekly basis, regularly bargaining changes to pay and working conditions in the interim period before we reach a contract.\u201d He rejected accusations that Touchstone had ever refused a lawful information request, adopted a retaliatory policy, or refused bargaining sessions with the Southern California gym unions.<\/p>\n USA Climbing: \u201cWe\u2019ll stay out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n On July 3, Norman confirmed via an email to Climbing that USA Climbing had received the Workers United president\u2019s letter. However, he declined to get involved in what he called \u201cexternal disputes.\u201d In his response to the union, which Climbing obtained, he wrote that USA Climbing maintains a policy of \u201cstrict neutrality\u201d with matters outside of its direct purview.<\/p>\n Norman continued: \u201cOur climbing gym partners, ranging from independent local gyms to larger regional and national chains, are the bedrock of our sport. Without their investment, dedication, and passion, the competitive climbing ecosystem would not exist. USA Climbing relies on a collaborative network of host gyms to provide the world-class venues necessary for our athletes to train, qualify, and compete. Because we are not a party to the commercial operations, corporate management, or employment relationships within these independent businesses, and in alignment with our principle of neutrality, USA Climbing takes an impartial position regarding active labor disputes or collective bargaining negotiations between private gym management and their workforces. We hope all parties engage in productive dialogue to reach mutually beneficial resolutions.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that USA Climbing\u2019s \u201cprimary focus\u201d must remain on ensuring athlete safety, meeting technical specifications, and maintaining geographic diversity.<\/p>\n \u201cThat said, we fully agree that the health, safety, and fair treatment of everyone who executes an event\u2014including setters, coaches, officials, volunteers, and facility staff\u2014are essential to the integrity of our sport,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n Norman declined to comment on whether a judge\u2019s ruling on an Unfair Labor Practice violation would potentially alter USA Climbing\u2019s standards for venue selection. For now, the organization will continue partnering with Movement and Touchstone gyms for competitions.<\/p>\n One gym employee and organizer\u2019s perspective Alex Lin calls his coaching job at Movement San Francisco \u201chis dream job.\u201d For the past two years, he has instructed both a youth team and an adult class at the scenic facility, which sits just beside the Golden Gate Bridge. \u201cThis is everything I\u2019ve ever wanted to do,\u201d he says, citing his 17 years of climbing experience.<\/p>\n Right now, Lin works nearly full-time, but he\u2019s struggled against Movement\u2019s policy of requiring most employees to be part-time workers, capped at 30 hours per week. \u201cAs far as I\u2019ve seen, there are only a handful of \u2018supervisors\u2019 who get full-time positions,\u201d he says, clarifying that the label of \u2018supervisor\u2019 doesn\u2019t necessarily indicate a managerial position. \u201cFor everybody else, they pursue that 30-hour cap so aggressively that it\u2019s sometimes at the expense of having a fully staffed gym,\u201d he explains. For example, most employees have second or third jobs to meet their income needs, so they can\u2019t cancel shifts with other employers to fill last-minute gaps in Movement\u2019s schedule. \u201cIt\u2019s really hard to ask people to drop things in their life to make minimum wage at a two-hour shift.\u201d<\/p>\n Lin says most of the jobs at Movement San Francisco start at minimum wage, $19.61 per hour, but he makes the higher end of the scale: $25.50 per hour. Still, he\u2019s unable to afford rent anywhere in San Francisco, where monthly rent for an average one-bedroom apartment is $3,764 and the living wage hovers among the highest in the country: $32.44<\/a> per hour for a single adult with no children.<\/p>\n As a result, Lin moved back home with his parents at age 36 in order to continue coaching at Movement. \u201cI live rent-free in order to subsidize this job,\u201d he said, \u201cI\u2019ve been looking at moving out; it\u2019s just horrifying out there. I have a couple coworkers who have moved into their vans.\u201d Lin also clarified that he receives government-subsidized healthcare.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to work more, and I can\u2019t,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m very passionate about this. I just need to make a living.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, Lin sits on the bargaining committee for Movement San Francisco\u2019s union, which won a unanimous election on December 18 and was certified on January 8. The part-time cap is one of the policies he hopes to see change, as well as pay raises. Last summer, he says increases amounted to $0.50, less than 2% of his hourly wage. \u201cThat\u2019s a pay cut,\u201d he says. \u201cThey go and raise the membership monthly rates by $10 twice over the last two years. It was $100 a month; now it\u2019s $120. And then they turn around and give us a raise of less than inflation. It\u2019s kind of absurd.\u201d (According to the Consumer Price Index, inflation in San Francisco was 2.19% between 2024 and 2025).<\/p>\n So far in bargaining, Lin says that there\u2019s been some progress on non-economic issues, but wages and benefits have not yet been discussed. The fact that Crystal City, Movement\u2019s oldest gym union, has not yet reached a contract puts his peers and him on guard; he expects Movement to \u201ctreat us the same\u201d as Crystal City.<\/p>\n What to expect in the coming months<\/p>\n Ben Bennett, a lawyer for Workers United, says that the length of bargaining itself is proof that Movement and Touchstone are intentionally slowing the process. \u201cI\u2019ve worked on mini-campaigns where workers unionized and we wrap up bargaining in a couple of months at most,\u201d Bennett told Climbing in a phone interview. Crystal City\u2019s four-year stretch without a contract, he says, \u201cdoesn\u2019t happen with employers where the company wants to bargain in good faith.\u201d (Movement has denied allegations of bad-faith bargaining.)<\/p>\n However, legal action has not yet sped up the bargaining process between Movement and Touchstone and their unions. Since 2023, Workers United has lodged 34 Unfair Labor Practice charges<\/a> against Movement and at least 15<\/a> against Touchstone. Representatives for both companies have denied the charges, which are still pending before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).<\/p>\n While average NLRB processing times are notoriously long, the wait for climbing gym unions has exceeded the status quo waiting period. According to former NLRB lawyer and legal blogger Matt Bruenig, in the last five years, the median time<\/a> it takes between filing an Unfair Labor Practice charge and the NLRB issuing a complaint has slowed from 134 days to 441 days. After the complaint is issued, it takes an additional 245 days\u2014at least, in 2025\u2014for an administrative law judge to release a decision. The end result is a nearly two-year wait time for litigation on any alleged labor law violation. The earliest Unfair Labor Practice charge<\/a> filed against Movement is from August 30, 2023; it\u2019s been 1,045 days and has not yet been resolved. Last year was considered a \u201clost year\u201d<\/a> at the NLRB; for 11 months after President Trump fired NLRB Board Chair Gwynne Wilcox in January 2025, the Board lacked a three-judge quorum<\/a> and could not make decisions. This, combined with the eight-month federal hiring freeze the same year, contributed to understaffing<\/a> and significant backlogs for processing cases.<\/p>\n As they continue to wait for legal resolution, unionized gym employees are pivoting their energy to the court of public opinion. The next move will be to conduct demonstrations on July 13 at 10 different North Face stores across New York, Berkeley, Pennsylvania, and more. According to a press release provided by Workers United, gym workers will be encouraging North Face customers to email their store managers and corporate leadership to cut ties with Movement.<\/p>\n \u201cA partnership with a corporation that violates the rights of its workers contradicts the values of The North Face and VF Corp,\u201d the press release stated, \u201cand it must end.\u201d<\/p>\n The North Face has not yet responded to Climbing\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n This is a developing story that will be updated as new information or responses become available. <\/p>\n
\n![\"Alex](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_9266.jpeg\"\/)
Alex Lin hangs off the wall at Movement San Francisco. (Photo: Courtesy of Alex Lin)<\/p>\n