YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — A federal judge in San Francisco has ordered the Interior Department and some other federal agencies to re-hire fired workers, but so far a Yellowstone National Park worker who lost his job says he has not heard if he’ll be reinstated.
The ruling, and the still unknown policy it will elicit from the Interior Department, is leaving workers with a lot of uncertainty.
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“So we just continue to see more and more chaos and confusion,” said Michelle Uberuaga, the Yellowstone Senior Program Manager for the National Parks Conservation Association.
There are social media posts from some employees who said they have been invited back to work, but only for 45 days. Others are saying they haven't heard anything at all. Plus, a court battle with the Trump Administration is expected over the judge's ruling.
“I haven't heard that people are expecting getting their jobs back yet. People are hopeful,” Uberuaga said.
In Livingston, sports shop owner Dale Sexton said the whiplash over just what is happening is tough on those workers.
“These are human lives that we're talking about here," he said. "This is not livestock. These are people. And it just feels very disrespectful in my opinion.”
“Getting the resources to pay their mortgage is the number one hurdle for folks that lost their jobs. And the folks that are still in their jobs are pretty unsure about what the future will bring,” said Uberuaga.
The Yellowstone Gateway Business Coalition is reforming, raising money, and reaching out to Montana's congressional delegation for help.
“They were instrumental in our effort previously for stopping the mines, and we know they're going to be instrumental moving forward to getting these jobs back,” Sexton said.
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Montana's senior U.S. Sen. Steve Daines has a reputation for helping the parks and public lands.
“It’s important we talk about the facts here because unfortunately, there has been a lot of fear-mongering," Daines told MTN News. "Yellowstone has around 400 full-time employees, 400 to 500 seasonal employees and roughly 30 probationary employees. Of the probationary employees, seven people unfortunately lost their jobs, but after talking to both (Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly and U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum) we believe several of those seven will be reinstated. I’ve also been working closely with Secretary Burgum to ensure seasonal employee jobs are not frozen.”
Besides the debate over firing of probationary workers, there's a looming deadline to lay off more full-time employees, perhaps as many as 20 percent.
Sexton said for Montana the national parks are a big part of local economies.
“I think it's important to realize the value that we receive for every dollar that goes into the park system," he said. "We get a return of four dollars, and it's actually quite a bit higher for Yellowstone National Park.”
