Yosemite and Sequoia National Park workers vote to unionize

National park employees at some of California's most iconic destinations just voted overwhelmingly to unionize — and it took mass firings under the Trump administration to push them over the edge.

More than 97% of workers at Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon national parks who cast ballots voted to join the National Federation of Federal Employees, with over 600 staff members now represented. The successful unionization drive comes after the National Park Service lost about a quarter of its workforce since Trump returned to office, on top of facing a proposed $1 billion budget cut.

"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,'" said union representative Steven Gutierrez. Park employees describe rock-bottom morale as they're forced to do multiple jobs while dealing with low pay, squalid housing conditions, and safety threats like hantavirus-carrying rodents in their living quarters. One worker said he can't afford rent and lives out of his car most of the year.

The timing is particularly striking given that Americans are visiting national parks in record numbers — 332 million visits in 2024 alone, including 4 million to Yosemite. But behind those Instagram-worthy vistas, workers are stretched dangerously thin, with some parks struggling to provide basic services like search and rescue, law enforcement, and medical care. It's a sobering reminder that even our most treasured public lands aren't immune to the broader political battles over federal workers and government spending.