BI parks district staff form first-ever union

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, March 11, 2026

About 72% of parks services staff at the Bainbridge Island Metro Parks and Recreation District have officially voted to unionize, as of March 6 — one of the last groups of public sector employees on the island to do so. Parks board members certified the union March 10.

There are no specific demands yet issued by the union, but staff have some ideas to start with. A more robust human resources department, improvements to healthcare and dental coverage, and funding for basic resources like tools all come to mind, they said.

“I hear ups and downs [about the parks budget]; we have money, we don’t have money, we’re not budgeted for this, we are budgeted for this. We need tools — and it’s kind of like, ‘Well, let’s meet on this, and see what tools you absolutely need, because we’re not sure the budget’s there,’” said Ryan Garrison, facilities and maintenance staffmember for BIMPRD. “I don’t think we really have a say of what the budget does, because a lot of the times that’s done at board meetings, or managerial meetings.”

“We’ve never been invited to any of those. We’ve never been invited to discuss or anything,” added Evelyn Safford, grounds maintenance technician at the park district.

Mitchell Teresi, maintenance fleet coordinator at BIMPRD, agreed.

“The stuff that keeps the very base level going is not happening,” he said.

The parks budget is slimmer than usual in 2026, largely due to ongoing capital projects and rising costs from inflation, per discussions between executive staff and parks commissioners during public meetings. Unexpected but necessary work discovered during the first phase of renovations of the Ray Williamson Pool raised the price tag of the project by about $1 million, drawing down the park district’s general fund balance to about $4 million through the end of the year.

On top of the pool updates, the park district has eyed four other capital projects to complete by 2027: maintenance of its outdoor sports fields and courts, accessibility improvements to trails, the addition of a heat pump to the Strawberry Hill Administrative Center and a new roof for the Eagledale Pottery Studio.

At an October 2025 board meeting, assistant parks executive director Amy Swenson cautioned that with a fund balance of $4 million, if any additional expenses arise, the park district may have to consider taking out a loan to make payroll.

“Capital Improvement Fund funding will likely become more limited at that time to preserve staffing levels so that the levels of service to the community are maintained,” said Swenson at the meeting. “One way the district has been able to manage its growth is by increasing efficiencies to keep expenses down.”

That gave some staff another reason to unionize, explained Garrison and Laura Bolinger, union liaison for the BIMPRD staff. Bolinger cited a precedent of cutting from the bottom during difficult financial times within district leadership’s decision-making, noting that during past project-heavy eras, staff had been asked to forgo a step increase.

While there was no indication that would be the case in the 2026 budget, because of economic pressures outside of work, “it’s safe to say [staff] aren’t really interested in taking that risk,” she said.

“The group has seen it happen before, and with the way the economy is — at this point, every dollar counts,” Bolinger said. “They can maybe hope that their employer is going to hold true to what they committed to giving, but instead, maybe they’re interested in having a binding agreement.”

“I look at it as, you want to take care of your assets, which are your people who are going to put that work in,” added Garrison.

But the move to organize is not just out of concern for working conditions at the park district, several BIMPRD staffmembers explained — it’s also about fighting for longevity at the agency.

“I’m only three, four years into my career here, and I’m still really young, I’m 20 years old, so I really want to have a secure future here,” said Safford.“[I’m new,] so it took me a while to catch on to seeing some of the issues. Once they were brought to my attention, I was like, ‘Yeah, it’d be nice to have a little more protection, just so I can securely be here for future years.’”

“This is by far the best job I’ve ever had, and I want to keep it — I’m planning on being there for a long time, I really like it,” agreed Teresi. “So, seeing how they treat their long-term employees, it showed me that this would be good for everybody, not necessarily just me. It’s good for all of us.”

The newly-formed union is part of Teamsters Local 589, a multi-industry union group that has represented workers in Clallam, Jefferson and Kitsap Counties for over 70 years. While this marks the first time BIMPRD staff have successfully formed a union — and for some staffmembers, their first time in a union at all — Local 589’s history and ubiquity in the region makes them a trusted entity to partner with, said Garrison.

Garrison explained that he’s been represented by a union throughout most of his career, including during his 13 years working in a shipyard and through Kitsap County Parks and Recreation.

“I’m pretty familiar with Teamsters, really familiar with the union, and I’m very pro-union. I believe it helps the employee have a voice in matters. I believe it’s a good thing for management, if they are willing to take it, because it helps both sides navigate through scenarios,” said Garrison.

When Garrison began working at BIMPRD about a year ago, he noticed the absence of organized representation and began asking his colleagues about it. Partly, some explained, prior leaders at the park district, like former longtime executive director Terry Lande, were receptive enough to discussions and raised issues that staff felt heard, Garrison said.

“I spoke with Terry for a little bit, and he put it this way: if there was a reason for a union, then he wasn’t doing his job, and he would fix whatever that issue was,” said Garrison. “If there was a union issue, or a union was being brought up, he wouldn’t look at the employees and say, ‘It’s you.’ He would look in the mirror and say, ‘Well, maybe I’m doing something wrong,’ and he would fix it.”

BIMPRD executive director Dan Hamlin said that management at the park district has continued Lande’s legacy of open dialogue with staff. However, he noted, in his 20 years on staff at the district, including in the maintenance department, he has not heard prior discussion of a union.

“The employees have a right to representation, and we haven’t done anything pro or con since this started Dec. 10. We’ve just let the process play out, and we’re ready to sit down and discuss what their desires are,” said Hamlin. “We’ll respond to what they bring us. My goal will be [to] treat our staff very well, and I will hope to maintain that across the district — that we don’t create an unfair situation, where one group is treated better or worse than another.”

Bargaining will now begin now that parks commissioners have certified the union, which is an official agreement to acknowledge staff’s organizing efforts and begin discussions to form a labor contract. The process could take anywhere from weeks to months, explained Bolinger.

“We’re hoping it’ll be quick, but it is a brand new contract, so we’re going to be having to bargain over every single word,” said Bolinger.