In today’s News and Commentary, park employees at Yosemite vote to unionize, Philadelphia teachers reach a tentative three-year agreement, and a new report finds that California’s union coverage remains steady even as national union density declines.

Federal employees at Yosemite and Sequoia-Kings Canyon have voted to join the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFE), with more than 97% of ballots cast between July 22 and August 19 in favor, according to results certified by the Federal Labor Relations Authority. The wins add the parks to a small cohort of unionized National Park Service units and come amid steep staffing cuts and broader efforts to curb federal-union power. Under longstanding federal labor law, agencies must bargain with a certified unit. While the NPS was not affected by the March 2025 executive order that excluded dozens of federal agencies from the federal labor-relations statute, first contracts can still take years to negotiate, and union reps have frequently been sidelined in recent restructurings. NFFE national president Randy Erwin said the union is “fighting vigorously” to secure bargaining rights, adding: “It is not a matter of ‘if’ we will get full collective bargaining rights back, it’s a matter of ‘when.’”

Meanwhile, the School District of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) announced a tentative three-year agreement, averting a possible strike just hours before classes were set to begin on Monday for roughly 198,000 students. The deal still requires a membership vote and ratification, but the parties called it a “historic tentative contract agreement.” PFT President Arthur G. Steinberg said the pact “ensur[es] that school will open on time, as well as three years of labor peace,” adding that it “recognizes the hard work and dedication our members bring to the district.” Superintendent Tony B. Watlington said it “both honors the hard work of our educators and maintains our record of strong financial stewardship.” The PFT represents about 14,000 educators and school professionals.

Finally, a new labor report from UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UC Riverside finds California’s union density has held roughly steady at 16%–18% for two decades—with 2.67 million workers covered in 2024. Researchers attribute the stability to ongoing organizing, particularly within the medical industry and at firms like Starbucks, as well as other food and beverage establishments. However, union representation measured nationally continued its gradual decline, falling to 11.1% in 2024 from 13.8% in 2004.