Touchstone Workers United Calls First Routesetter ULP Strike in America

LOS ANGELES – March 24, 2025 – Today, all routesetters at Touchstone Climbing Gym’s Southern California unionized locations will form picket lines at the first routesetting strike in the nation. Prompted by an unfair labor practice, the strike has developed after a frustrating seven month long contract bargaining process, which has resulted in only three tentative agreements.

During bargaining, Touchstone Climbing has changed working conditions, including increasing routesetter workload, which causes more injuries among staff. Touchstone Workers United, affiliated with Workers United/SEIU, was certified in April 2024, following an employee walkout in October 2023 after management failed to disclose a detailed threat of violence, directed at the Hollywood Boulders location.

Touchstone management has a record of retaliatory action against employees. Workers unionized to improve the safety of the facilities for staff and customers, to have equity in the workplace, for higher wages, and for empowerment to have concerns addressed.

Routesetters work at heights of about forty feet, suspended by rope, and use power tools in a variety of climates to design climbing walls for competitions and for recreational use. Workers at the company’s five Southern California facilities will be picketing at two locations this week, which are listed below. A press conference will be held Wednesday, March 26, 2025 at Verdigo Boulders, 266 E Magnolia Blvd, Burbank, CA 91502 at 11:00am.

Worker interviews and photos are available upon request.