Do we really need an outside group to help our workplace?

• First and foremost, we are the union, the workers of Touchstone.

• We vote on whether to unionize, we write and negotiate our proposals, and we decide on whether to ratify the contract.

• We do so with the help of Workers United because it would be naive for us to bargain against the company's economic and power advantage without our own lawyers and experts.

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Will we  have to pay dues?

• Yes, however, we won’t need to pay dues until after we have voted first to unionize and then on a contract that we believe is fair.  No Touchstone worker would vote for a contract where they lose money.

• The dues are a percentage of what you earn.  For a full-time worker the national average is $11 per week. 

• In 2024, union workers made, on average, $199 more a week more than non-union workers. 

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Will I be fired for supporting the Union?

• This is highly unlikely to happen. We have been organizing quietly so that management can’t single out any one person.

• Once we announce, we are protected by the law and, therefore, cannot be fired for having signed a card or supporting the union.

• Remember: Workers cannot be fired, disciplined, demoted, or penalized in any way for engaging in organizing activities.  It is against federal law! 

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Will a union hurt the company?​

• That depends on what you mean by “hurt.” The company will still generate the same amount of money from being a successful  climbing company and from our work in their gyms. 

• Traditionally, in non-union companies, the majority of that success is enjoyed by CEO's, board members and shareholders. In a unionized workplace, however, the workers have a say in how that money is redistributed throughout the company in the form of a living wage, comprehensive benefits, and investments in worker health and safety. 

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Why don't companies want their workers to unionize?

• ​Because it gives more rights to its workers, making it harder for them to make decisions that affect our lives.

• When workers have the means to negotiate their working conditions, whether it’s a living wage or safer work conditions, CEOs and shareholders have to share with us a  more equitable amount of the profit WE helped make. 

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Management says that if we vote to unionize, “everything is on the table,” and things could get worse.

• This is a common scare tactic that management uses to threaten their workers, and is deliberately misleading.

• Yes, everything is up for negotiation, but no contract would be adopted by workers that would make things worse.

• Everybody votes on whether we want to accept the contract or keep bargaining. You vote and get a say for all of it.

• What they won't say, is that without a contract everything is truly on the table and management can make changes that affect our lives without our approval. 

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Is the union being mean to management?

• No, but it’s funny how the rich and powerful feel attacked by their workers standing up and demanding fair working conditions.  

• We don't name-call, make threats, or look to disparage people. We speak truth to power and hold people accountable for their actions. 

• We try to remain polite, but the idea of politeness is often used as a weapon by those with power to silence and devalue the voice of the people. We make noise when we need to. 

• Conversely, is it polite for management to force new expenses on workers or withhold their holiday bonus merely because they want their voices heard?

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Should we wait and see what happens with other gyms? ​

• Standing up to the heads of a company is scary. After all, they have a lot of power over our lives. 

• That's why they want  you to  wait, because the less we work together the greater their power over us is.

• If you want that power back, and a say in  decisions that affect your life, the most successful way is to join with those who are in the same position. The larger the group, the more power you have.  Waiting hurts your ability to ask for what you need. ​

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Management says that the union was started by a disgruntled former employee, is that true?

• ​No,  every organizing committee member was a current Touchstone employee.

• Members of that committee have since left the company, been paid to leave the company early, and been unjustly fired -pending legal recourse.

• The bargaining committee also consists of only Touchstone workers, but because we are not legal or bargaining experts, we are assisted by representatives from Workers United. 

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