The Portland Rock Gym voluntarily recognized a new union of 35 climbing gym workers on Dec. 3. The new unit includes climbing instructors and customer service workers at the gym’s Northeast Portland and Beaverton locations. The unit is the first group of climbing gym workers to unionize in the Pacific Northwest and the first in the nation to receive voluntary recognition, according to the union, Workers United.
Workers requested voluntary recognition on Nov. 11, with community supporters joining as they delivered their request to management. Portland Rock Gym Vice President Brendan Rall reached out within two days to begin negotiating the terms of recognition, Workers United said.
Natalia Creagh-Grave, a front desk worker at the Beaverton location and a member of the organizing committee, said she wants a wage scale that reflects experience levels and certifications, and improved scheduling to reduce understaffing, which is a safety concern. Creagh-Grave said the union will be seeking more input on bargaining priorities from the entire unit.
Portland Rock Gym is owned by founder Gary Rall. Vice President Brendan Rall said in an email to the Labor Press that reaching an agreement for a first contract is a major undertaking that could take months or even years.
“We will be careful and deliberate in that process to make sure we are meeting the needs of the business, our employees, and the Northwest Oregon climbing community at large,” Rall said.
Across the country, climbing gym employees have unionized at 29 gyms operated by eight employers. Climbing Workers United is the name of the climbing gyms affiliate within the broader Workers United union. Their campaign has organized 25 climbing gyms since 2021, including nine Touchstone locations, which owns and operates 18 climbing gyms in California; and seven Movement locations. Two more have elections scheduled in the next month. United Food and Commercial Workers has also organized five Vertical Endeavors climbing gyms in Minnesota.
“Regardless of whether a place is a small business, the people working there still deserve respect and a voice in what’s going on,” Creagh-Grave told the Labor Press.
