This week, we’re staying in Southern California, where the workers of Touchstone Climbing Gym in Los Angeles have been negotiating their first contract with their employer. Touchstone Climbing, a regional climbing gym with over a dozen locations in California, experienced a wave of unionization in its Los Angeles locations early last year. The successful campaign with Workers United created a wall-to-wall union at each of the company’s five locations in the Los Angeles area. Members of the LA-based gym are often themselves union members, and the response from the climbing community has been overwhelmingly positive.   However, workers have been navigating a frustrating negotiation in order to reach an agreement on a first contract. Chief among workers’ demands is better communications, higher safety standards, and better pay.    With me today to discuss their unionization, and their negotiations are Ryan Barkauskas, PT desk staff at The Post in Pasadena and Jess Kim, Former Desk Staff at the Post in Pasadena, now FT Workers United organizer.    Additional links/info:  Touchstone Workers United Climbing Business Journal - for Sam, 10+ year Yoga Instructor for Martell, Front Desk Worker at The Post in Pasadena   Permanent links below… and we might play it on the show! Labor Radio / Podcast Network , page, and page In These Times , page, and page The Real News Network , channel, feeds, page, and page   Featured Music… Jules Taylor, “Working People” Theme Song   Studio Production: Mel Buer Post-Production: Jules Taylor