SCRANTON, Pa. — Five employees at Steamtown National Historic Site have been dismissed as part of cuts to National Park Service employees by the Trump administration, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
David Fitzpatrick, an official with two locals of the American Federation of Government Employees, told the newspaper another five were dismissed at Gettysburg National Military Park and two at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia. Independence National Historical Park also has about 30 unfilled openings, and Fitzpatrick said he understood offers for some of those jobs have been rescinded.
All those involved are apparently probationary employees — those in their first year of federal employment, who have not yet gained civil service protection and can be dismissed more easily. Probationary employees have accounted for the majority of almost 10,000 employees dismissed across a broad range of agencies; National Public Radio reports more than 200,000 employees could hold probationary status. Reuters reports that about 1,000 probationary National Park Service employees are being cut, which would represent about 5% of the agency’s workforce.
The National Park service has 433 sites, which it calls units, in more than 19 classifications such as National Parks, National Historical Parks, and National Monuments. They are visited by about 325 million people each year. Among others that are rail-related are the Golden Spike National Historic Site in Utah; the Pullman National Historical Park in Chicago, and Pennsylvania’s Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site.
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