On June 23, lifeguards at the YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region in Colorado Springs, Colo., joined UFCW Local 7. This is the first unit of YMCA workers to be represented by UFCW Local 7.
The 15 lifeguards joined our union family because they were concerned about low pay and poor management and wanted a voice in the workplace. The campaign to organize these workers included meeting with workers and educating them of the benefits of having and being part of a union, explaining to them the importance and power of having one collective voice at the table, and reviewing examples of recent contract gains that UFCW Local 7 was able to bargain and secure.
“Our desire for a union started much like most other companies,” said the lifeguards in a joint statement. “We were dealing with bad management, depressed wages that didn’t keep up with inflation, and a lack of benefits for the labor we did. We were told over and over if we wanted to change things for the better, we should just ask. So, we asked over and over again to no avail, and often to the great frustration of management for hearing the same complaints over and over. We are hoping that by joining the UFCW, we can finally have the weight behind us. We need to be treated like the valuable labor we are, instead of replaceable cogs in a machine.”