Lifeguard hopes to see wages increase to support cost of living, daily pool operations
by Jessica Taylor, CBS Austin
AUSTIN, Texas — Brandon Haberthur and Gavin Brown know the perfect way to cool down in these record-breaking temperatures.
"I love Barton Springs,” said Haberthur. “I've always enjoyed Barton Springs. Since I was little because my mom and all my siblings always came and had picnics and swam,” said Brown.
However, their plans need some adjustments.
“This is like the fifth time [Brandon’s] tried to come and they’ve been closed, this is the second time we’ve both come, and it’s been closed ,” said Brown.
Barton Springs pool remains closed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays due in part to staffing challenges. Open water guard Scott Cobb says a big part of the shortage is because of the pay.
“We are first responders at the swimming pool and if it's CPR, then we wait for the other first responders EMS to arrive. But until they do, it's on us. It's our responsibility,” said Cobb. "That is why a lot of people are reluctant to come work here at the current wage.”
He began lifeguarding here in 2018 and says the $16 starting wage isn’t livable.
“The rents in Austin have gone up on average about 30%,” said Cobb. “Everywhere you go, whether it's Starbucks, getting something to drink, or just everywhere; every single place is raising their prices, but our wages have not gone up to cover that.”
This year the city increased wages to $16-$19 an hour, along with additional bonuses. The bonuses available are:
$500 bonus if you get certified and start working by June 6.
$500 bonus if you work through August 14.
$250 bonus if you get advanced certification.
According to the City of Georgetown's website, their pay for lifeguards ranges from $10.50-to $16.50 an hour depending on position and experience. According to Pflugerville's Parks and Recreation Dept.'s website, lifeguards receive $12-13 per hour.
However, Cobb is asking for the starting wage to begin at $22 an hour. He created a petition to show support for that request which has garnered over 500 signatures. They landed on the $22/hr. after comparing wages across the U.S., specifically the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, which recently raised the hourly rate for lifeguards for this season to between $21 and $26.
"We’ve done CPR here, we’ve had heart attacks, I mean it’s a serious job, but they’re not treating it as a serious job.”
Earlier this spring, Council Member Paige Ellis sponsored a resolution aimed at incentivizing the recruitment and retention of lifeguards and other seasonal employees to keep pools open this summer.
She provided this statement this afternoon:
"This week, council will approve the final piece of the lifeguard recruitment efforts that I've sponsored - waiving the training fees. According to city staff, more than 600 people have applied, and about a third of those have been processed and are ready to work. Now that the city has raised the minimum hourly pay to $16 for lifeguards and is now offering up to $1250 in bonuses over 3 months, I am hopeful we'll receive more applications and get them processed and trained in order to be able to open all pools for the summer."
While the pool closure may be a slight inconvenience for some, Haberthur and Brown were happy to cool off on the other side of Barton Springs, which remains open without lifeguards. They still hope to see whatever it takes to keep the poolside open daily.
“They potentially would save a life, so they deserve to get paid well,” said Haberthur. “And then they could be open more if they had staffing, so it’ll pay for itself if they pay more."
