On July 12, workers held an informational picket to alert the community of a possible labor dispute at the Woodland Park Zoo.

Workers at Woodland Park Zoo, who are members of the Joint Crafts Council (JCC) Coalition of Unions, have been making plans to protect the animals if they go on strike. If the group of 200 workers is unable to reach an agreement with their employer over a new contract, they say they will run a skeleton crew that would provide necessary care to the animals but require the Zoo to close its doors to the general public.

“We are making contingency plans to ensure the continued well-being of the animals if we are forced to strike,” said Janel Kempf, a learning coordinator who has been with the Zoo for 25 years and is a Shop Steward with Teamsters 117. “A strike is an absolute last resort and one that none of us takes lightly, but the Zoo keeps pushing us in that direction. If the Zoo doesn’t change course soon, we will have no other choice than to withhold our labor.”

Negotiations between the Coalition of Unions and the Zoo have been ongoing for the last ten months with workers growing increasingly frustrated at what they say is the Zoo’s failure to value and retain an experienced workforce.

“We are hemorrhaging critical animal care experience which directly affects the standard of care we can provide for our animals,” said Allison Cloud, an animal keeper and member of Teamsters 117. “The Zoo is forcing us to choose between our livelihoods and our animals, a heartbreaking decision no zookeeper ever wants to make.”

Workers say low wages, the skyrocketing cost of healthcare, low morale, and high turnover have put the Zoo’s AZA accreditation at risk. Loss of accreditation could cripple the Zoo’s resources and lead to the transfer of animals to other accredited facilities.

"Woodland Park Zoo cannot maintain AZA accreditation without us,” said Joe Gallenbach, an Exhibit Technician with IATSE Local 15. “The loss of AZA accreditation would demonstrate catastrophic mismanagement on the part of the Woodland Park Zoological Society.”

The Coalition of Unions and the Zoo have one more bargaining session on the calendar: Friday, August 9. If the Zoo does not make an acceptable proposal next Friday, workers say they will take their case for fair wages and benefits to the public through direct, concerted action. 

“I believe the animal-loving people of Seattle would be disheartened to know that the Zoo has lost a lot of irreplaceable talent with valuable institutional knowledge and experience due to sloth-paced increases in wages and benefits, understaffing, and the unhappiness and burnout they create,” said Anne Carver, a laborer with LiUNA Local 242.

Over the course of negotiations, workers have spoken out for a fair contract at a Seattle City Council hearing and Woodland Park Zoo Board of Directors meeting. On July 12, they held an informational picket to alert the community of a possible labor dispute.   

Workers gather before speaking out to the Zoo's Board of Directors on May 28.

The Joint Craft Council Coalition of Unions represents 28 classifications at the Zoo, including Animal Keepers, Warehousers, Veterinary Technicians, Painters, Carpenters, Laborers, and many others. Unions in the coalition are: Teamsters Local 117, IATSE Local 15, IBEW 46, LIUNA Laborers Local 242, Boilermakers Local 104, Western State Carpenters, Painters, District Council No. 5, IUOE Local 302, Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 32.