A trendy cycling gym frequented by fitness-freak celebrities like Jake Gyllenhaal is “spinning out of control” with wage and labor violations, a new class action lawsuit claims.
The SoulCycle exercise bike chain, which charges top dollar at gyms in Manhattan and the Hamptons, cheats its instructors out of wages for all of the extra work they do on marketing, planning classes and communicating with clients, said Douglas Wigdor, lawyer for ex-instructor Nick Oram. A former SoulCycle instructor has filed a class-action lawsuit against the New York-based company on the grounds that he and other SoulCycle instructors were not paid consistent with state laws in New York and California.
The complaint, Nick Oram v. SoulCycle LLC et al., was filed last Thursday in United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Oram and other SoulCycle instructors, according to the complaint, are paid only for the 45 minutes during which each indoor cycling class is taught. The complaint alleges SoulCycle instructors work dozens of hours per week because they are “required to work above and beyond the time instructing a class.” The duties of SoulCycle instructors, according to the complaint, include training, preparing for classes, developing routines, compiling playlists, communicating with customers, attending meetings, leading special event classes and engaging in marketing efforts.
“It is my goal in this lawsuit to ensure that SoulCycle pays all of the hard-working and dedicated instructors what they deserve and compensates them fairly for all hours worked,” Oram said in a statement. Oram was a master instructor who taught in both New York and California.
In a statement released by SoulCycle, a company spokesperson told Club Industry: “We strongly believe that the compensation and benefits we provide to our team are amongst the best in the industry and that we are in full compliance with the law.”
Oram, according to the complaint, worked for SoulCycle from April 16, 2009, to April 15, 2013. When asked why Oram left SoulCycle, his attorney, Douglas H. Wigdor, referred the question to SoulCycle, which had no comment.
SoulCycle Holdings LLC is a subsidiary of Equinox Holdings LLC, New York.
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Mark Consuelos (from left), Kelly Ripa and Andy Cohen attend the Action for Healthy Kids Benefit at SoulCycle Tribeca on May 4, 2011.
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SoulCycle didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
SHANNON STAPLETON/Reuters
A fitness instructor leads a SoulCycle class at their Union Square location in New York.
