Pay the workers of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance a livable wage
Pay the workers of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance a livable wage
The Issue
URGENT: The workers of the San Diego Wildlife Alliance have passed one year of hostile contract negotiations with the executive team of the Wildlife Alliance and need our help. During the CoVID Crisis of 2020 and the subsequent contract negotiation in 2021 workers lost significant value on their wages to insignificant raises and high inflation; additionally losing their employee pensions when the zoo froze the program. The workers of the San Diego Wildlife Alliance are members of our community. They are the children of San Diego, like my own babies, who grew up going to the Zoo and Safari Park. According to recent economic data provided by Fox 5 San Diego the cost of living in San Diego sits at around $79,000/yr after taxes. The median zoo keeper at the San Diego Wildlife Alliance is making $40-60,000/yr before taxes. The workers desperately need their wages to catch up before inflation sinks our community members, hollowing out San Diego. Our city needs them and their work, and the San Diego Wildlife Alliance must to pay them a livable wage for our city.
Currently as it stands the average non-salaried staff member is earning between 40-60x less than recently departed CEO Paul Baribault's ~2 million dollars a year salary + bonuses. Many career, full-time employees can only survive by renting, working multiple jobs, using food pantries and mutual aid, and by having multiple roommates. This not only is immoral and unethical but presents a danger to workers and the community when we consider what these people do for a living. A zoo with well-compensated, well-rested, top-talent employees is a zoo that is least likely to have an *incident*
In March, employees voted down a contract that would have failed to keep their wages consisting against inflation and would sell off the management of the employee pensions to a private wealth management firm. As the Wildlife Alliance goes back into negotiations with the unionized workers its vital that we, the members of the community, show our support of the workers who make our beloved institutions run. Our money funds the Wildlife Alliance and we the people of San Diego want that money to provide high quality wages for high quality work.
Our planet is relying on them. Pay them like it.
5,426
The Issue
URGENT: The workers of the San Diego Wildlife Alliance have passed one year of hostile contract negotiations with the executive team of the Wildlife Alliance and need our help. During the CoVID Crisis of 2020 and the subsequent contract negotiation in 2021 workers lost significant value on their wages to insignificant raises and high inflation; additionally losing their employee pensions when the zoo froze the program. The workers of the San Diego Wildlife Alliance are members of our community. They are the children of San Diego, like my own babies, who grew up going to the Zoo and Safari Park. According to recent economic data provided by Fox 5 San Diego the cost of living in San Diego sits at around $79,000/yr after taxes. The median zoo keeper at the San Diego Wildlife Alliance is making $40-60,000/yr before taxes. The workers desperately need their wages to catch up before inflation sinks our community members, hollowing out San Diego. Our city needs them and their work, and the San Diego Wildlife Alliance must to pay them a livable wage for our city.
Currently as it stands the average non-salaried staff member is earning between 40-60x less than recently departed CEO Paul Baribault's ~2 million dollars a year salary + bonuses. Many career, full-time employees can only survive by renting, working multiple jobs, using food pantries and mutual aid, and by having multiple roommates. This not only is immoral and unethical but presents a danger to workers and the community when we consider what these people do for a living. A zoo with well-compensated, well-rested, top-talent employees is a zoo that is least likely to have an *incident*
In March, employees voted down a contract that would have failed to keep their wages consisting against inflation and would sell off the management of the employee pensions to a private wealth management firm. As the Wildlife Alliance goes back into negotiations with the unionized workers its vital that we, the members of the community, show our support of the workers who make our beloved institutions run. Our money funds the Wildlife Alliance and we the people of San Diego want that money to provide high quality wages for high quality work.
Our planet is relying on them. Pay them like it.
5,426
The Decision Makers
Supporter Voices
Petition created on April 6, 2025