To the City of West Hollywood

To the Mayor and City Council of West Hollywood,

We, the undersigned, are the lifeguards and aquatics aides who keep West Hollywood's pools safe, joined by the residents, patrons, parents, and neighbors who stand with us.

We have built majority support for a union of our own: an AFSCME local by and for temp aquatics workers, with our own voice and our own priorities. We share a community of interest: we work the same facility, the same water, under the same conditions. We asked the City to recognize the union we have chosen.

The City Manager declined. But whether we want a union, and what shape it should take, is not the City's decision to make; it is ours, and we have made it. This does not have to stand: the City Manager made this call, and the City Council can override it.

A union for lifeguards is not unusual; it is the standard in Los Angeles, Long Beach, and San Diego. West Hollywood signed a pledge to remain neutral and not interfere with its workers' right to organize. Honoring that pledge means recognizing the local we have chosen and respecting our judgment about what is best for our own group, not overriding it.

We are asking the City Council to:

• Respect our right to decide our own union and bargaining unit.
• Override the City Manager's denial and recognize the AFSCME local we have chosen.
• Honor the neutrality pledge the City signed, and bargain with us in good faith on just cause, fair pay and swim-lesson equity, lifting the 1000-hour cap, and real job security.

We brought this letter to the City Council on June 29, and we're continuing to gather signatures. Stand with us, and add your name below.

In solidarity,
WeHo Temps United
AFSCME DC36 · #WeHot