WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Members of the Jones Beach (Long Island) Lifeguard Corps/New York State Lifeguard Corps see their affiliation with the New York State Teachers (NYSUT) Union as a pathway to improving Working Conditions and keeping the Public safer. Pictured Above (Photo Courtesy of Miller Photography via www.nysut.org): Three new and unidentified NYSUT Members participate in a Rescue Drill at Robert Moses State Park.  The following story appeared on NYSUT’s Website during the Summer of 2010:

As any Lifeguard can tell you, a closed beach is a deadly beach.

That's because no matter how many warning signs they see, people who desperately want to cool off at the end of a long, hot workday will swim in unguarded waters.

And for every person willing to take that chance, hundreds more will flock to the beaches that are open - doubling or even tripling the ratio of Swimmers to Lifeguards.

The 1,000 Members of the New York State Lifeguard Corps envisioned this worst-case scenario for much of Spring 2010, as they braced themselves for the strong possibility that a number of New York State Parks would not open Memorial Day weekend because of the State Budget Crisis.  However, a reprieve via an $11 million appropriation by the Legislature allowed the State's Beaches and other public parks to open.

"When you close Parks, you send more people to the Parks that are open," said Bruce Meirowitz, president of the New York State Lifeguard Corps/United University Professions/New York State United Teachers/American Federation of Teachers. "And an overcrowded beach is a risky situation."

His colleague - Christopher Tappan, who is a delegate from the Finger Lakes Park Region of the New York State Lifeguards Corps, seconded the safety concerns.

"Patrons would still have wanted to use the water, regardless of what the signs said, and the Park Police would have been spread thin attempting to enforce the closings," Tappan said.

NYSUT had advocated to keep the State Parks open and welcomed the reprieve.  Now, the Union is looking to the larger Public Safety Issues ahead for New York's Public Beaches, Lakes and Pools.

"We’re exceedingly glad the State Parks opened as scheduled, so our Members in the New York State Lifeguard Corps can continue to protect the Public," NYSUT Executive Vice President Andy Pallotta said at the time. "We knew the potential hazards of closed beaches, and we believe the State's decision to open the Parks and listen to our concerns literally may have saved lives."

Pallotta, meanwhile, said he hopes the Legislature will be as receptive to requests to increase Staffing, extend Guard Coverage for beaches later in the day, and upgrade safety equipment. 

"Lifeguards are the experts when it comes to Public Safety," he said, "and we would all benefit from listening to them."

Corps Members say that becoming part of NYSUT's Affiliate United University Professions in 2009 has already given them a stronger voice in addressing those concerns.

"We're really excited to be part of NYSUT," said Brian McDonald, who works as a Teacher in Garden City during the School Year and a Lifeguard at Jones Beach on Long Island during the summer. "I know as a Teacher the great things we do through NYSUT."

The New York State Lifeguard Corps protects public swimming areas overseen by the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; the state Department of Environmental Conservation, and the State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.

The Members are a cross-section of society: Firefighters, Police Officers, Finance Executives, Teachers, Carpenters and a Cardiovascular Surgeon.

"You want the ultimate network?," Meirowitz asked. "Open up the Lifeguard Directory. What we all have in common is we're all Lifeguards."

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: NYSUT-Represented LifeguardEd Costigan (Pictured Below/Photo Courtesy of Miller Photography via www.nysut.org) keeps watch over Swimmers at Jones Beach on Long Island.