More than 600 federal employees at Yosemite National Park and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park in California have voted to join the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM). The workers, including park rangers, recreation specialists, firefighters, forestry workers, maintenance staff, and facility operation specialists, cast their ballots nearly unanimously in favor of union membership.
This development is part of a broader organizing initiative led by the IAM Organizing Department and NFFE-IAM. According to Jerry McCarty, IAM Assistant Organizing Coordinator, existing 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.
Art Jackson, IAM Organizing Special Representative, noted challenges faced by federal workers amid shifting employment policies. “Federal workers are facing a changing landscape that the current administration designed to keep them guessing about their employment security,” Jackson said. “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.”
The National Park Service continues to face staffing shortages with hundreds of vacant positions nationwide. Many roles offer hourly wages between $17.60 and $21.47 for wage grade 5 positions, requiring staff to work holidays, weekends, and mandatory overtime due to year-round public access needs.
IAM Assistant Organizing Director Juan Eldridge commented on recent success in union elections among federal employees: “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 added: ”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.”
Additional representation elections are planned nationwide as part of ongoing efforts by NFFE-IAM and its partners.
