Animal Care Keepers picket outside The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) - Animal care keepers at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens picketed outside the zoo today, calling for higher wages as negotiations over their first union contract continue.

Union members say negotiations have been ongoing for more than three years. Keepers claim current starting wages of $19.80 an hour are not enough to afford living in the Coachella Valley. Some employees also alleged management used union-busting tactics, including mandatory meetings discouraging union support.

In a statement to News Channel 3, The Living Desert said it has negotiated in good faith with American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 36, which represents the animal care keepers, and said a proposal is currently with the union for consideration.

The zoo also accused the union of attempting to disrupt operations during the busy holiday weekend and said it remains committed to reaching a fair agreement through continued negotiations.

Union members say they plan to continue raising awareness until a contract agreement is reached.

The Living Desert provided the following statement to News Channel 3:

"The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens has participated in good faith negotiations with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Council 36, which represents our animal care keepers. A proposal is currently in the hands of the Union and the keepers for their consideration. These negotiations have spanned more than three years, and much of the delay rests with the Union. There have been weeks and even months when we have received no communication from the Union. Rather than respond to the offer on the table and continue the negotiations process, the Union has chosen to bring its concerns to the media and to picket during a busy holiday weekend, in an apparent attempt to disrupt operations at one of the community's most cherished destinations."

"The Union's effort to draw media attention rests on considerable inaccuracies, but a public back-and-forth is not the place to resolve them. Throughout this process, The Living Desert has acted fully within the rules of the National Labor Relations Board and with the integrity our community has come to expect. There is a practical and reasonable forum for resolving any differences: the negotiation is already underway. As a nonprofit that receives no ongoing public funding and relies on the confidence of the community to sustain its conservation, education, and animal care work, The Living Desert remains committed to reaching a fair agreement at the negotiations table. We hope the Union will return its focus there, and we will continue to negotiate in good faith toward an outcome that serves our employees and the community we are proud to be part of."