(UTICA, NEW YORK) - Seeking better working conditions and a stronger voice on the job, Workers at the Utica Zoo have voted overwhelmingly to form a Union at their workplace with the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA).

The group of Zookeepers, Veterinary Technicians, Education Specialists, Groundskeepers and Gift Shop Employees have been dissatisfied over staffing and high turnover, leading employees to come together to form a Union.

Zookeeper Caleb LaRocca, a Member of the Organizing Committee, knew Workers at the Buffalo and Syracuse Zoos have Unions with CSEA and thought, ‘Why not the Utica Zoo, too?’

“A Union is the best way for employees to stand together, to make our voices heard by administration and to ensure that our labor, experience, and health are valued appropriately,” LaRocca said. “The Staff here are fantastic and deserve to be treated fairly, and when the workplace fails at that, great people end up choosing to leave the zoo and the zoo suffers.”

Garrett Buck, a Zookeeper and Member of the Organizing Committee, worked at a Unionized zoo in California before coming to Utica in February.

Having familiarity with the way a Union can work with management to enact positive change, he knew the only way to solve some of the issues facing the Utica Zoo was by coming together and Unionizing.

“We are not being heard through the traditional channels, so we are building our Union to make our voice stronger,” said Buck. “I believe having a Union will lead to greater worker retention and improved animal care in the long run.”

Although zoo management didn’t grant voluntary recognition, support the Workers received from the community was comforting before the National Labor Relations Board Election was held in late October.

“We’re happy to have won our election and have the support of the Utica Community and its leaders,” Zoo Educator Kallen Muste said. “I’m incredibly proud of the Staff here and everything we’ve accomplished.  I’m looking forward to working together with management to get this amazing team what it needs to make the Utica Zoo the best it can be.”

To Read This Organizing Labor News Story In Its Entirety, Go To: https://cseany.org/workforce/?p=11675