hundreds of National Park Service Employees in California Move to Unionize Amid Staffing Crisis
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CA - Hundreds of National Park Service employees across California are taking steps to unionize, citing severe staffing shortages and disruptive policy changes under the Trump administration. The move, spearheaded by the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), aims to advocate for increased resources and protections for park staff facing unprecedented challenges.
Since President Trump took office,the National park Service,which oversees 85 million acres of public lands,has experienced a 25% reduction in permanent staff,alongside decreased seasonal hiring. The administration has also proposed more than $1 billion in cuts to the NPS budget, leading to a crisis in park operations and a climate of uncertainty for employees. This has resulted in scientists and archeologists being reassigned to basic tasks like cleaning bathrooms and managing ticket booths, while park superintendents have been forced to perform janitorial duties.
The unionization effort reflects growing anxieties among park employees about the long-term health of the National Park System. “Every day you come to work and you have no idea what is going to happen next. It’s like we are all being subjected to psychological warfare,” one staffer told the Guardian earlier this spring.
The situation reached a visible flashpoint earlier this year when laid-off employees at yosemite National Park hung an American flag upside down – a recognized signal of distress - at the iconic El Capitan to protest the job cuts.
According to Erwin with the NFFE, the union will ”take every step possible” to increase staffing levels, secure resources, and defend the rights of National park Service employees. The unionization drive comes as the federal government has ordered parks to remain open to the public despite the staffing shortages, exacerbating the strain on remaining personnel during peak season.
