After getting fired in February, rehired in March, and offered a buyout in April, Eddie Garcia feels uncertain about his job, but more certain than ever about the work.
“Now that it’s under threat, the call to duty is even more heightened” Garcia said.
A resident of Bozeman, Garcia works as a ski patroller in the winter, but for the past two decades each summer he trades in ski boots for work boots , as an employee of the Custer Gallatin National Forest. He has become known as the cabin guy, with a majority of his time spent maintaining the ten 100-year-old forest service owned cabins available to rent.
“That could be anything from a leaky roof , to something with a wood stove, or any piece or part of a cabin or a campground” Garcia said.
On February 14th, Garcia was one of many probationary federal employees to get a letter saying he was fired effective immediately–part of sweeping government layoffs orchestrated by the Department of Governmental Efficiency.
“Yeah Valentine's day we got fired. Happy Valentines day” Garcia said.
A lower court overturned the layoffs in March, ordering the government to reinstate workers.
On April 8th the U.S. Supreme Court changed things again–saying the government did have the authority to fire them.
Also on April 8th, a second round of buyouts, offered to federal employees by the government, closed.
A spokesperson for the US Department of Agriculture told E&E News around 3,100 Forest Service employees took the deal.
But Garcia says he declined.
“Everything that has happened has reinforced my resolve personally, and I’m pretty sure it has with some of the others” Garcia said.
Seasonal Forest Service work begins on April 21st.
