Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Workers at Yellowstone National Park have elected the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), an affiliate of the Machinists (IAM), to represent America’s first established national park. The new unit includes interpretive park rangers, educators, researchers, fee collectors, first responders, firefighters and other staff working for the Department of Interior’s National Park Service. “Working to protect and preserve Yellowstone for ‘the enjoyment of the people’ is a much more difficult and precarious career than people realize,” said the Yellowstone organizing committee in a statement. “Due to low pay, unmanageable workloads, high rent, a stifling hierarchy, and many other issues, the workforce here is struggling. The resulting high turnover negatively affects the park and the public’s experience of it.”