San Diego Zoo workers push for higher wages as executive pay skyrockets

Workers at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park say they’re struggling to make ends meet as executives at the company rake in hefty salary increases.

The zoo workers’ latest union contract expired in January. Since then, employees — from zookeepers to admissions clerks to groundskeepers — have been pushing for higher wages and guaranteed pay increases to keep up with inflation.

Since 2021, salaries of rank-and-file zoo workers increased by an average of less than 2% each year, according to the union’s most recent contract.

By contrast, the compensation of recently departed CEO Paul Baribault more than doubled in recent years to nearly $2 million, according to forms the zoo filed with the IRS for 2023, the most recent year available. Other executives’ compensation increased by roughly 50% during that time, records show.

KPBS spoke to three zoo employees who described workers struggling to stretch their paychecks while living in one of the most expensive regions in the country. The employees requested KPBS withhold their names due to fear of retribution from the organization for speaking out.

“This is a career for me — it’s my life’s goal,” said one zookeeper at the Safari Park. “And it’s been such a disappointment that they won’t pay me a living wage.”

The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA), the nonprofit that operates the zoo and safari park, declined an interview request. In an email, an unnamed spokesperson said the union rejected a recent contract proposal that would have raised workers’ wages more than 23% on average by 2028.

“We remain steadfast in our commitment to returning to the bargaining table to work toward a fair and sustainable agreement,” wrote the spokesperson in an email. “SDZWA values our employees’ dedication to our mission and goals, and we are hopeful to achieve a resolution that supports their contributions while ensuring the long-term success of SDZWA.”

‘Exploiting their idealism’

U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks San Diego as one of the most expensive cities in the country. A recent study from Chapman University went a step further, calling the city “impossibly unaffordable.”

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s living wage calculator estimates a single adult in San Diego County with no children has to earn $30.71 per hour (or about $64,000 annually) to support themselves.

According to the union’s most recent contract, which was obtained by KPBS, the vast majority of union positions at the zoo earn below that mark. For example:

• Animal food preparers earn $17.27 per hour (about $36,000 annually)
• Grounds workers earn $20.26 (about $42,000 annually)
• Horticulturists make $24.03 per hour (about $50,000 annually)
• Zookeepers earn $27.18 per hour (about $57,000 annually)
• Senior Zookeepers earn $30.58 per hour  (about $64,000 annually)

Employees who spoke to KPBS said these wages aren’t sufficient.

“I have heard several accounts of people collecting SNAP benefits, people seeking recommendations on food pantries,” said one zoo employee. “A lot of them pick up second jobs.”

Erik Anderson

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KPBS

The employee said while turnover is common at the zoo, many employees stick around because they’re passionate about the cause.

“We would all starve before we would let any harm happen to these animals,” they said. “Sometimes it feels like that’s taken advantage of by leadership.”

Rong Zhao, an assistant professor at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College-CUNY, said it’s common for nonprofits to underpay employees who are passionate about their work. She called it “exploiting their idealism.”

“To be honest, when I look at the (zoo’s) wage table, I was so surprised by how low workers were paid,” she said.

Teamsters Union Local 481, which represents the zoo workers, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Executive pay skyrockets

The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance hired Baribault as CEO in 2019. He’d previously worked at The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank for more than two decades.

Baribault’s total compensation started at $821,000, according to the organization’s financial statements. By 2023, his pay soared to $1.86 million, the IRS forms show.

Baribault stepped down as CEO in late March.

“The time feels right for me to pass the baton and pursue my next adventure,” he said in a statement provided to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

Baribault did not respond to multiple interview requests.

He wasn’t the only executive who saw his salary balloon during that time.

Chief financial officer David Franco’s compensation increased from $516,000 to $753,000.

Chief operating officer Shawn Dixon’s compensation increased from $507,000 to $815,000. Dixon is now the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s interim CEO.

The organization’s board of trustees said in a statement to KPBS that it reviews market data and relies on an external compensation consultant to help set executive salaries.

“To ensure we attract and retain the caliber of leadership required, the organization adheres to a responsible compensation philosophy overseen by our Board of Trustees,” the board said in its statement.

Zhao acknowledged many nonprofits feel pressured to offer high executive pay in order to compete with for-profit companies. But, she cautioned, pay inequities can spark frustration from employees.

“They have all the rights to feel angry about this disparity,” she said. “It's definitely not right.”

The union and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance returned to the negotiating table last week.