Windsor's new family aquatic centre will be run by unionized CUPE workers.

The YMCA bid to run the facility for $200,000 less annually. But council voted in favour of CUPE.

CUPE Locals 543 and 82 agreed to a pay grid that convinced council to let them staff the pool.

Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac thanked the union for making it work.

"I give CUPE a lot of credit for stepping up to the plate and saying that they want to participate in the savings," Gignac said. "So, I think we move forward and I'm very anxious for the opening date."

The city and CUPE are currently negotiating new collective bargaining agreements.

City staff estimates the annual operating cost of the new aquatic centre will be $1.2 million. Approximately 150 lifeguards will be needed at the new aquatic centre.

"We're very pleased that an agreement we spent many weeks negotiating has been approved today by Council," said Mark Vander Voort, President of Local 543 of CUPE 543, which represents City of Windsor inside workers, including aquatics and recreation staff.

Council's decision, though, puts the YMCA's own pool in jeopardy, the organization said.

YMCA CEO Sean Elliott worries about what will happen when the new aquatic centre opens.

"I'm not sure, quite frankly, how long we'll be able to maintain our pool," he said. "Certainly we would do it to the best of our ability. Pools can be sinkholes for money and they need to be supported by a broader membership base."

The city also expects to save $500,000 by closing other pools like Windsor Water World.

The new competitive pool and dive tower are to open next August.