Employees at Grand Canyon National Park plan to file union paperwork with the Federal Labor Relations Board Monday.
It's part of a larger move by workers in parks across the West to push back against the Trump administration's job cuts.
Organizers say almost half of Grand Canyon National Park's nearly 500 employees have so far signed union cards.
“I think a lot of us have put up with a lot for a long time just because we love our jobs, we love the Park Service. But we also want to be able to, you know, afford healthcare and afford our groceries,” says organizer Michele Vaught.
She spoke during a break from her job at Grand Canyon’s Backcountry Information Center.
Vaught says they’ve been organizing since February, when the Trump administration attempted to fire thousands of federal probationary employees across numerous agencies.
The effort to join the National Treasury Employees Union is aimed at blocking further layoffs and protecting worker benefits.
“I think we've had a realization that nobody is coming to save us, so we need to do something for ourselves,” Shanoa Totherow says.
Totherow has worked at the park since 2024 and spoke on her lunch break. Both say they speak as private citizens.
Employees at Glacier, Rocky Mountain and Grand Teton national parks also planned to file to unionize Monday, along with workers at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and the National Park Service’s Denver Regional Office.
Over the summer, staff at Yosemite and Sequoia-Kings national parks moved forward with their own unions.
In a statement to KNAU, Grand Canyon officials say management will honor the choice of park staff.
"Employees are free to try to unionize. Management will respect whatever they choose,” Grand Canyon spokesperson Joëlle Baird wrote.
