Mayor Eric Adams announced Friday a deal with the union representing city lifeguards that is expected to help boost the number of workers who patrol city beaches and pools amid a years-long shortage.
The deal, part of the ongoing negotiations between the city and the union District Council 37 (DC37), will ease some of the stringent requirements for the qualifying exam to become a lifeguard. The move aims to help the city increase the number of lifeguards qualified to work at city beaches and pools, thereby permitting swimming in areas that had been closed off in recent years due to a lack of coverage.
The agreement, which was inked via an arbitrator, comes as the city’s eight public beaches are set to open on Saturday for Memorial Day weekend. However, according to city officials, sections of those beaches will be closed to swimming because there are only 230 lifeguards currently on hand.
Adams, during an impromptu Friday afternoon news conference outside City Hall, said the agreement updates outdated rules that have been in place for 40 years to align with state regulations and industry standards.
“These rules have restricted lifeguard hiring and prevented the city from doing everything we feel that is necessary to hire more lifeguards,” Adams said. “These are just common sense changes aligned with the state regulations and industry standards. And allow us to hire more fully qualified lifeguards so we can keep our pools and our beaches open for all.”
Starting this year, the agreement eliminates the speed requirement for the 300-yard swimming test specifically for lifeguards working in shallow-water city pools—those five feet and under—while keeping all other parts of the exam in place. The change will help some of the over 300 new recruits currently in training have a better chance of getting hired as lifeguards.
“They still need to go through rigorous training, be able to swim those 300 yards, but it just won’t be timed, so it’ll have a definite impact on our shallow water pools,” said Sue Donoghue, commissioner of the Parks Department, which runs the city’s beaches and pools.
Furthermore, the pact relaxes the requirements around the vision standards for lifeguards in mini and wading pools. Beginning next year, those with 20/70 uncorrected vision between both of their eyes — with 20/30 in one eye and 20/40 in the other eye with corrective lenses — will be able to qualify. Currently, only those with 20/30 vision in one eye and 20/40 in the other eye, without corrective lenses, can make the cut.
The announcement of the deal follows Meera Joshi, Adams’ Deputy Mayor for Operations, earlier this week saying she is “confident” the city will have more lifeguards this year than last—when it had roughly 850 at the peak of summer. Joshi said there are 560 new recruits this year, which is more than last year, but she noted they still need to go through training.
She added the city likely will not reach optimal staffing levels this year, which is 1,500, to have its beaches and pools completely opened for swimming.
The Parks Department told amNewYork earlier this week that it will continue to certify new lifeguards through July 4, a few days after the city’s 51 outdoor pools open for the season on June 27.
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