Upcoming Events
April 28th – Union 101 Workshop. 7-8pm PDT. We’ll be defining basic Union terms, going over what our Union can do right now by Statute/law, and briefly the roles of Stewards’ roles. If you’re interested in helping more with the Union either as a Steward or to learn more about the Union toolbox without a CBA, please come! All Union eligible employees are welcome.
Zoom link to meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88010584545?pwd=Df9rHkHAIzStaPdAK8CnNepCzDtEn5.1
May 1st – First Friday SEKI Union Social at 6:30 PM at Tony’s Taverna On Wheels in Three Rivers.
May 2nd – YOSE Union will have a table at Spring Fling in El Portal. Hope to see folks there!
May 5th – Local 465 Members Meeting at 6:30 PM PDT/MST (SEKI, YOSE, SAGU) and 7:30 PM MDT (YELL). If you have questions/issues you want discussed amongst leadership, please contact us ahead of time at this email!
Local Updates
DC Lobbying Week
Interested in helping influence changes to policy? We’re looking for two more people to go to Washington DC to lobby on behalf of our Union on Capitol Hill June 21-26. All expenses will be covered, but you will have to use your own leave. If you’re interested, let us know by Monday April 20th by replying to this email.
Meeting with Senator Padilla
On Monday, April 13th, members of our leadership team met with staffers from California Senator Alex Padilla’s team. Their goal was to bring attention to pressing issues facing members across Local 465. Topics discussed include locality pay, vacancies, and the Yosemite reservation system – issues we have heard are urgent to members. Discussions went smoothly and our points were well received, and we expect to engage in follow-up talks in-person in Washington DC.
Welcome Seasonal Employees!
We extend a warm welcome to Summer seasonal employees who are beginning or continuing their journey in protecting our natural treasures and heritage! Seasonal employees are the backbone of the NPS and have the same right to join a union as permanent, career-seasonal, and term appointments, and qualify for the same Union benefits. In your offseason, you are also entitled to keep membership and remain active in decisions at a small cost, around $2 a pay period.
CBA – The Latest
The work continues on our road to a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). To give an update on the timeline of the process, we are in the latter stages of finalizing the consolidation of all our parks into one Local. This needs to happen before the CBA negotiations begin. This week there is a meeting between the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), NPS, and NFFE regarding the consolidation. We will let members know soon as we are consolidated, so that we can start bringing your concerns for an eventual contract to the table.
Local Bylaws
We’ve accomplished another significant task on our way to CBA negotiations! During April’s membership meeting, we successfully voted to approve the bylaws for our Local. Bylaws establish the main procedures for our Local, including guidance on elections, board structure, and committees. Thank you to our Stewards and the Book Club members for working together on the bylaws!
YOSE Reservation Survey
We asked and you delivered! 140 folks from the NPS and park partners including Yosemite Conservancy and Yosemite Hospitality (Aramark) filled out our survey on the impact a no-reservation Summer will have on their jobs. We now have a much clearer picture of the impact a lack of managed access will have across all aspects of the park. 85% of responses stated that the decision will “definitely impact” their day-to-day operation. Superintendent McPadden has refused to bargain with Local 465 thus far in regards to the future of reservations, claiming that our jobs are impacted de minimis, a legal term meaning “too small to be considered.” Local 465 is currently in the process of filing an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP).
Supporting SJ
NFFE Local 465 is proud to back illegally fired ranger Shannon “SJ” Joslin in their legal battle with the DOI in regards to their termination, which was due to a rule that was not enacted until after an off-duty protest. You can read the letter in full as well as the court docket. A preliminary injunction for reinstatement has been filed and their next hearing date is set for June 12th.
Weingarten Rights
Just a friendly reminder of your rights! Park employees are entitled to union representation when meeting with supervisors and in matters of disciplinary action. So far, nearly a half dozen employees have used their Weingarten rights, and our Stewards have helped them through their cases.
What We’ve Accomplished (So Far!)
Since our successful vote to unionize six months ago, we have achieved much, with much left to do. We thought now would be a good time to rundown exactly what the union has been up to since its founding (in addition to the above):
- Organized several major parks (SAGU, SEKI, YELL, and YOSE) into one large local. The following units will soon be joining our local: GUIS, PIRO, DEVA, MOJA, and CUVA.
- Secured RIF protections in the form of a court order for member parks during the 2025 fall government shutdown.
- Represented members facing disciplinary actions in nearly a half-dozen cases.
- Sending members to Washington D.C. in June to lobby on behalf of NPS workers.
- Have spoken up for members in multiple media outlets, and crafted four press releases.
- Sent four individuals to steward training at the IAM Training Center.
- Met with NPCA and Senator Padilla’s staff to start addressing pressing issues within our parks.
- Held five workshops about hazard pay, working outside your position description, Organizing 101, Union Workshop 101, and Know Your Rights training
- Built five active committees – comms, legislative, education, book club, members, with two others in active development (finance and elections). Sign up here to join a committee!
- Worked towards improving the reservation system in Yosemite with a Demand to Bargain, including moving towards filing an ULP on behalf of members at the park. Collected 140 responses from park employees all across the park.
- Provided a community of support for those needing general help; during the shutdown, NFFE members in Yosemite distributed food and hot meals for those who were without pay.
- Garnered a total of 4,400+ NPS employees across several other NPS Unions to sign in support of SJ. At the time of the letter release, this represented around 33% of the entire NPS workforce.
This is in addition to the assistance unions such as NFFE provided in the form of lawsuits to win probationary employees their jobs back in the aftermath of the illegal 2025 Valentine’s Day mass-firing.
National News
The More the Merrier!
We welcome our colleagues and friends at the NPS Southeast Regional Office (SERO) and Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park (DAAV) into the NFFE family! Each voted “yes” to unionizing this month!
Proposed Funding Slash
President Donald Trump’s administration released its proposed federal budget for 2027 at the beginning of the month. They propose a decrease in $736 million in money used for park operations, a cut of over 25% from the previous $2 billion used for operations from a total budget of $2.116 billion. It should be noted this is merely a proposal; the budget must be set and approved by Congress first.
Forest Service Heavily Reorganized
Our fellow land-managers at the Forest Service are undergoing a major overhaul. All 10 regional offices and 57 research facilities will be consolidated into the national office, which itself is moving from Washington, D.C. to Salt Lake City, Utah. NFFE, which represents a large swath of the USFS, was not informed of the decision until 30 minutes before the official announcement and it condemned the decision.
VA Union in Chaos
The Veterans Administration (VA) metaphorically tore up its contract with AFGE,the union representing over 300,000 of its staff, for a second time in late March. This violates a prior court order from March 13th. While the legal battle is ongoing, a second preliminary injunction was granted April 10th temporarily restoring the CBA and its benefits for employees.
In Solidarity,
NFFE Local 465
Union representing National Park Service employees at Yosemite National Park, Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks, Saguaro National Park, and Yellowstone National Park
