Public Employee Press

Lifeguards question plan to extend beach, pool season

A sea of bright orange flooded City Hall as 150 City Lifeguards and Supervisors attended a hearing on Intro. 629 to extend the beach and pool season beyond the traditional Labor Day close date.

"We are not opposed to this legislation," said President Peter Stein of Lifeguard Supervisors Local 508. "It's not just about costs. There are important issues such as public safety and health codes, our collective bargaining rights and that possibly not enough Lifeguards are available after Labor Day."

DC 37's Henry Garrido, Stein, President Franklyn Paige of Lifeguards Local 461, and Local 983 President Joe Puleo testified at the April 22 hearing. They outlined DC 37's top concerns: public safety, respect for workers' rights and collective bargaining,

Parks staffing levels and the availability of Lifeguards, who are seasonal employees. The Parks Dept.'s Liam Kavanaugh estimates the cost to keep beaches open each weekend in September at $350,000, but DC 37's contract mandates weekly employment for City Lifeguards.

DC 37 leaders said Parks needs more besides Lifeguards. Parks also needs Parks Enforcement Patrol Officers, who issue summons, make arrests and are the sole safety agent for miles, and other vital staffers who protect the public and clean and maintain city pools and beaches.

Last summer, the Parks Dept. closed pools and beaches on Sept, 2, Labor Day, even as the end-of-summer holiday brought scorching temperatures. Sweltering New Yorkers had nowhere to cool off.

City officials questioned Parks' decision to close pools and beaches. City Lifeguards are fit, certified swimmers over the age 16 who work six days a week, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, when they return to high school, college or other jobs. The Parks Dept. tests them and assigns the fastest swimmers to the city's beaches; others who pass are assigned to outdoor pools. All Lifeguards train and perform rescues and cardio pulmonary resuscitation, CPR.

Beachgoers venture into closed sections, putting themselves and Lifeguards at risk. Yet the hard-to-recruit title is the lowest paid of first responders, starting at just $14 an hour.

Last summer, City Lifeguards set a record having no fatalities at any New York City public pools or beaches.

"We are a union and if beaches are to remain open, so should pools," Paige said. "If additional work goes to beach Lifeguards and excludes pool Lifeguards, it's like giving candy to one kid and denying the others." "

"Overall staffing in the Parks Department has steadily declined even as usage of our city's parks and beaches is at an all time high," said Garrido. New York City ranks 50th nationally employing just six Parks employees for every 10,000 people. "We recommend Parks improve its recruitment efforts and offer more competitive salaries to Lifeguards, and we urge Council members to consider all the issues we've presented before they pass this bill."

— Diane S. Williams