Latest news with #MorePerfectUnion
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
'Now with reduced staff': Billboard calls out DOGE cuts to Cuyahoga Valley National Park
A national pro-labor organization has placed at least one billboard in the Columbus area targeting the Department of Government Efficiency. The satirical billboard advertising that Cuyahoga Valley National Park will now have fewer rangers because of DOGE-backed cuts to the federal workforce has been spotted near the Scioto Downs Resort and Casino off of Highway 23. More Perfect Union paid for hundreds of billboards in several states, including Ohio, Colorado and Pennsylvania. The executive director of the organization Faiz Shakir recently told GoErie, part of the USA TODAY Network, that staffing cuts to national parks could mean visitors have a less than ideal experience that can include longer wait times. 'My understanding is that some national parks are going to have some reduced staffing. Some people are looking forward to going there with their families and my impression is that this year, sadly, you will have a worse experience because of what Trump and Musk are doing with unnecessary cuts,' Shakir said. Thousands of federal workers have lost their jobs after DOGE-led cuts. The recently formed department was until very recently led by the richest man in the world, Elon Musk. In Cuyahoga Valley National Park, three probationary employees lost their jobs, in addition to a freeze on seasonal hires, according to previous Akron Beacon Journal reporting. The park in northeastern Ohio is the only national park in the Buckeye State. Anna Lynn Winfrey covers the western suburbs for the Columbus Dispatch. She can be reached at awinfrey@ This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio billboard calls out DOGE cuts to Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Targeting DOGE, labor group puts up billboards warning of heat deaths at national parks
LAS VEGAS — On West Bonanza Road near Martin Luther King Boulevard, not far from the glittering casino lights of the Strip, motorists pass a dire message for the upcoming summer tourism season. A billboard mimicking a postcard from one of the most extreme places on the continent reads: 'Greetings from Death Valley National Park,' before a more sinister warning: 'Heat deaths rise. Safety staff cut. Made possible by D.O.G.E.' It's one of around 300 billboards placed across Arizona, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida by More Perfect Union, a nonprofit labor advocacy organization seeking to bring attention to staffing cuts brought on by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. The National Parks Conservation Association, an independent advocacy organization, estimates that around 2,500 employees — roughly 13% of the National Park Service's staff — took buyouts or accepted early retirements or deferred resignations as part of DOGE's efforts to significantly slash the size of the federal government. There are concerns that deep cuts across the National Park Service could jeopardize public safety. 'In far-flung places like Death Valley, park rangers are there to help maintain your safety,' said Faiz Shakir, More Perfect Union's founder and executive director. 'If you pass out from heat exhaustion, they're the ones making sure you're taken care of.' In Nevada alone, 19 billboards are on display in Las Vegas and Reno, highlighting the public safety risk of heat-related illness and death for park visitors this summer. Death Valley National Park extends from eastern California to Nevada and is about a 2.5-hour drive from Las Vegas. The area is often known as the hottest place in North America, with temperatures often reaching 130 degrees Fahrenheit or higher in the summer. An early-season heat wave has scorched much of the West with dangerously hot conditions, prompting an extreme heat warning that extended from Friday to late Saturday. Triple-digit highs were widespread across southern Nevada, and temperatures over 115 degrees were expected in Death Valley. Such extreme heat weeks before the official start of summer added urgency to More Perfect Union's message. The organization's billboard campaign is targeting broad impacts of DOGE's layoffs and cuts to the nation's most popular national parks. In the Southwest, that meant zeroing in on extreme heat, Shakir said. 'We had to tailor the message to get at where the rubber meets the road,' he said. The full consequences of National Park Service reductions remain to be seen, and peak summer tourism season is looming. Abigail Wines, acting deputy superintendent of Death Valley National Park, said park employees are working to keep the public safe and raise awareness about the dangers of extreme heat. She encouraged people to take necessary precautions before visiting Death Valley, such as checking for weather alerts or closures and packing adequate water, sunscreen and other essentials. 'As always, the National Park Service is working to provide visitors with amazing, safe and memorable experiences in Death Valley National Park, and throughout the country,' Wines told NBC News in a statement. More Perfect Union's bigger goal with its billboard campaign is to bring attention to DOGE's controversial work and the Trump administration's sweeping cuts to federal agencies. Shakir said the organization purposefully used the bipartisan support that national parks enjoy as a way to provoke debate. A 2024 poll from the Pew Research Center found that the National Park Service was the most popular federal agency, with 76% favorability among the more than 9,400 Americans surveyed. 'A lot of places we put the billboards in are in red areas, where it's assumed that a lot of people may have voted for Donald Trump, like Donald Trump and even like components of DOGE, quite frankly,' Shakir said. 'But with national parks, we thought this was a good example of where they've gone way too far.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- NBC News
Targeting DOGE, labor group puts up billboards warning of heat deaths at national parks
LAS VEGAS — On West Bonanza Road near Martin Luther King Boulevard, not far from the glittering casino lights of the Strip, motorists pass a dire message for the upcoming summer tourism season. A billboard mimicking a postcard from one of the most extreme places on the continent reads: 'Greetings from Death Valley National Park,' before a more sinister warning: 'Heat deaths rise. Safety staff cut. Made possible by D.O.G.E.' It's one of around 300 billboards placed across Arizona, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida by More Perfect Union, a nonprofit labor advocacy organization seeking to bring attention to staffing cuts brought on by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. The National Parks Conservation Association, an independent advocacy organization, estimates that around 2,500 employees — roughly 13% of the National Park Service's staff — took buyouts or accepted early retirements or deferred resignations as part of DOGE's efforts to significantly slash the size of the federal government. There are concerns that deep cuts across the National Park Service could jeopardize public safety. 'In far-flung places like Death Valley, park rangers are there to help maintain your safety,' said Faiz Shakir, More Perfect Union's founder and executive director. 'If you pass out from heat exhaustion, they're the ones making sure you're taken care of.' In Nevada alone, 19 billboards are on display in Las Vegas and Reno, highlighting the public safety risk of heat-related illness and death for park visitors this summer. Death Valley National Park extends from eastern California to Nevada and is about a 2.5-hour drive from Las Vegas. The area is often known as the hottest place in North America, with temperatures often reaching 130 degrees Fahrenheit or higher in the summer.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Billboard featuring Gateway Arch protests cuts to National Parks
ST. LOUIS – A new billboard featuring the Gateway Arch is turning heads. It's part of a nationwide campaign protesting federal cuts to the National Park Service. The billboard displays a scenic photo of the Gateway Arch National Park with springtime trees in bloom, accompanied by this message: 'Greetings from Gateway Arch National Park. Now with reduced staff. Made possible by $ D.O.G.E.' That said, you won't find it in St. Louis. This specific billboard is on display in Des Moines, Iowa. More Perfect Union, a pro-labor advocacy group, says it placed 300 billboards across 40 U.S. cities to draw attention to staffing reductions and funding cuts at national parks that stem from the Department of Government Efficiency. The department, more commonly known as DOGE, is an initiative of President Donald Trump's second term that is led by billionaire Musk. It aims to reduce government spending and consolidate the federal workforce. DOGE's website claims that the department has saved $170 billion through federal workforce cuts as of May 11. More Perfect Union argues these cuts have been harmful to national parks, resulting in fewer rangers, reduced maintenance and limited public programming. Police spike dozens of reckless drivers in slideshows across St. Louis Regarding the Arch billboard and the broader campaign effort, More Perfect Union shared this statement with FOX 2 on behalf of Executive Director Faiz Shakir. 'National Parks are some of our nation's most cherished resources. They provide a space that all people – old, young, rich, poor – can enjoy equally and find their lives are enriched by amazing experiences. But that's not something oligarchs care much about. Some elected officials and unelected billionaires would rather privatize or eliminate our public services, we believe strongly in the need for great public parks and outdoor spaces that all Americans can enjoy.' Des Moines is located nearly 350 miles northwest of St. Louis. Though physically distant, Gateway Arch is the closest national park to Des Moines and draws visitors from all across the Midwest, one reason More Perfect Union chose to feature it there. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
12-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
‘Save our national parks' billboards pop up across country to protest job cuts
Billboards have popped up across the country protesting job and budget cuts at national parks. The advertisements are part of a campaign by pro-labor nonprofit advocacy group More Perfect Union to slam the Trump administration's staff and service cuts at national parks. 'National parks are one of our nation's most treasured assets. … They provide a public space where anyone, rich or poor, can share equally,' the group said on its website. 'Yet, Donald Trump has empowered Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to make drastic cuts to the federal workforce across all agencies.' Ripple effects of the cuts include scientists and other staff being reassigned to clean toilets, facility closures and fewer emergency responders available to help visitors in distress, McClatchy News previously reported. The administration also fired roughly 1,000 newly hired employees 'as part of its broad-based effort to downsize government,' The Associated Press reported. The group installed 300 billboards in more than 40 cities across the U.S., National Parks Traveler reported. The billboards are designed to look like a postcard showing iconic scenery from the parks — but instead of a slogan reading something you'd expect from a postcard like 'wish you were here,' the billboards highlight the negative effects of staff cuts on the parks. For example, billboards in Miami and Fort Lauderdale in Florida read: 'Greetings from Biscayne National Park: Now with increased levels of trash*,' the outlet reported. Signs in Denver read 'Greetings from Rocky Mountain National Park: Now with reduced staff*'; signs in Nevada read 'Greetings from Death Valley National Park: Heat deaths rise, safety staff cut*' and signs in Arizona read 'Greetings from Saguaro National Park: Reduced visiting hours*.' The asterisks on all the billboards point to an emblem reading 'Made possible by DOGE.' 'National Parks are some of our nation's most cherished resources,' Faiz Shakir, executive director of More Perfect Union, said in a statement, according to KDVR. 'They provide a space that all people — old, young, rich, poor — can enjoy equally and find their lives are enriched by amazing experiences. But that's not something oligarchs care much about. Some elected officials and unelected billionaires would rather privatize or eliminate our public services, we believe strongly in the need for great public parks and outdoor spaces that all Americans can enjoy.'
