Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks Workers Unionize Amid Staffing Shortages and Low Morale
For two years, labor organizers tried to unionize employees at a trio of celebrated California national parks, but they couldn’t reach critical mass. However, the mass firings of National Park Service employees in February under the Trump administration sparked a significant change. Many employees were reinstated, but litigation concerning the legality of the firings continues. The park service has lost about a quarter of its staff since Trump reclaimed the White House, and that’s on top of a proposed $1-billion budget cut to the agency.
This summer, the scales tipped in favor of unionization. More than 97% of employees at Yosemite and Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks who cast ballots voted to unionize, with results certified last week. Over 600 staffers — including interpretive park rangers, biologists, firefighters, and fee collectors — are now represented by the National Federation of Federal Employees.
Steven Gutierrez, national business representative with the National Federation of Federal Employees, said it took mass firings to “wake people up.”
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Low Morale and Frustration Among Park Employees
“Culture is hard to change,” said Steven Gutierrez, a national business representative for the union. “It takes something like this administration firing people to wake people up, to say, ‘Hey, I’m vulnerable here and I need to invest in my career.’”
The unionized employees work at some of California’s most celebrated and highly visited national parks. Yosemite is famous for its awe-inspiring valley, while Sequoia and Kings Canyon are known for their giant sequoia trees.
Amid that beauty is a workforce that is frustrated and fearful. Two employees at Yosemite National Park described rock-bottom morale amid recent turmoil — and a sense that the union could provide an avenue for change. Both are union representatives and requested anonymity for fear of retaliation.
“With this administration, I think there’s a lot more people who are scared, and I think the union definitely helps towards protections that we really want,” said one employee.
