The National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM) criticized the Trump administration’s announcement on April 7 to relocate the U.S. Forest Service headquarters to Salt Lake City, Utah, and eliminate all regional offices. The union said this decision would disrupt the workforce responsible for managing forests, fighting wildfires, and serving public lands across the country.
Union leaders say that research scientists and recreation technicians are among those affected by the restructuring. These employees conduct forestry studies that inform land management decisions and keep public lands safe for millions of visitors each year.
“The Trump administration cannot dress up a mass workforce disruption as common-sense management,” said NFFE-IAM National President Randy Erwin. “Our members are in our nation’s forests every single day, helping manage watersheds, wildfires, and the lands that millions of Americans count on. Uprooting their careers and blowing up the structure they work within is not a reform. It is chaos, and the American public and our public lands will pay the price.”
The announcement follows an organizing victory at Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada and eastern California where 174 workers recently voted to join NFFE-IAM. The union says this reflects growing concern among Forest Service employees about job security as federal workers face what it calls escalating attacks from President Trump’s administration.
NFFE-IAM represents tens of thousands of U.S. Forest Service employees under a Master Agreement providing workplace protections. The union stated that before any relocation or reassignment occurs due to restructuring, there is a legal obligation for bargaining over its impact with employee representatives.
The National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM) represents approximately 110,000 blue- and white-collar government workers nationwide.
