More than 600 federal employees at Yosemite National Park and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park in California have voted by a large margin to join the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM). The workers include park rangers, recreation specialists, firefighters, forestry staff, maintenance personnel, facility operations specialists, and others.
The organizing efforts are part of a broader initiative between the IAM Organizing Department and NFFE-IAM. Jerry McCarty, Assistant Organizing Coordinator for IAM, noted that existing master agreements with agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service provide immediate protections for new members. “Federal employees at Yosemite and Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks realized the only way to have a voice in this political climate was to form a union. The IAM has all the necessary resources to make it happen for them and other National Parks across the country,” McCarty said.
IAM Organizing Special Representative Art Jackson highlighted job insecurity issues faced by federal workers. “Federal workers are facing a changing landscape that the current administration designed to keep them guessing about their employment security,” Jackson stated. He also emphasized the role these workers play in maintaining public access to national parks: “These National Park Service workers ensure that Americans can visit and enjoy these beautiful national treasures now and for centuries to come. They now stand tall and proud like the Sequoia trees they protect because they know life and work is better in a union.”
Staffing challenges remain an issue within the National Park Service, which currently has hundreds of vacant positions. Hourly wages for some roles start at $17.60 per hour and go up to $21.47 for wage grade 5 jobs; many positions require working on holidays, weekends, or mandatory overtime due to year-round operational needs.
IAM Assistant Organizing Director Juan Eldridge attributed recent successes in union elections among federal employees to experience with Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) procedures: “We are having great success in union elections with federal workers right now because NFFE-IAM and the IAM Organizing Department understand the assignment,” Eldridge said. “The IAM Organizing department has solid experience with Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) elections, and these workers need union representation without delay before some of the Trump administration’s job actions take effect without the workers’ input.”
IAM Resident General Vice President Jody Bennett commented on why federal government civilian workers choose their organization: ”It just makes sense that they get professional representation from a union like no other, the IAM Union,” Bennett said. “We have a proven record of fighting for federal government civilian workers with NFFE-IAM, and new members choose us because we know the drill and get results.”
The organizing departments plan more representation elections among federal service employees nationwide.
