Outplacement services firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. tracked 62,242 federal government jobs cut last month from 17 different agencies in a report<\/a> released Thursday.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Escalante said she will never forget the loss of her work family. She posted a Facebook video<\/a> telling her story the day after she was fired.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “We want to speak out,” she told the Juneau Empire on Saturday. “We want people to know. But everyone is scared right now.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Escalante started her position in July, just before the record glacial outburst flood on Aug. 6, 2024. The administrative assistant’s job had been vacant for two years, leaving managers to do the work. The National Weather Service Juneau and Fairbanks offices are understaffed, with Juneau serving as a backup for Fairbanks.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t She said she sought the job for health benefits since she has an autoimmune disorder. Working in the field of science was new to her, but she said everyone at NWSJ made her feel welcome.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “I got to dive in deep with them and see how they pulled together, worked overtime, came in willingly,” she said. “I have never seen a work environment or people who have cared so much about everyone and everything. These people want to be here and want to protect people and give the best information that they can. Seeing them do that raised my morale to make sure they had the tools that they need.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Escalante hopes to get her job back, although there’s a risk she could lose it again.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t President Donald Trump outlined reductions in force (RIF) and reorganization plans in an executive order<\/a> issued Feb. 11. Roughly 10% of the National Weather Service’s Alaska-based staff is gone, according to Alaska Public <\/a>Media<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t The attorneys general of Washington D.C., Maryland, and 18 other states are suing the Trump administration over the mass firing of federal employees, according to <\/a>NPR<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Agencies are expected to prepare for large-scale layoffs and develop reorganization plans by March 13. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Weather Service’s parent agency, was told to submit a plan to reduce staff by about 20%, The New York Times reported<\/a> Saturday.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Juneau Assembly member Maureen Hall was at the church listening to the impacts fired employees are experiencing. Escalante, who was born and raised in Juneau and owns her home, said she needs help with mortgage payments.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “That’s what was so hard about filling the admin position — it’s not a high-paying position for someone to relocate here for it,” Escalante said. “My boss cried when I was let go.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t While she said losing her job and health care is hard, she knows that others fired are scrambling to find housing.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t A comment wall gives federal employees a space to share their thoughts on Saturday, March 8, 2025. (Jasz Garrett \/ Juneau Empire)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Sabrina Donnellan was working as a branch chief in the Restricted Access Management<\/a> (RAM) program at NOAA. The primary function of RAM is issuing Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) permits. Staff also oversee records and respond to lawsuits and requests for information through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Before taking the job at NOAA this fall, Donnellan worked for 10 years with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, giving her the experience to work in fisheries at the federal level.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “They were below 50% capacity with staffing before I started,” she said. “I supervised three individuals. They didn’t have a direct supervisor before I got there, and they also struggled with just getting the workload done. So within four months, I was doing a significant amount of the hands-on work and ensuring that we were following the laws with FOIA, and getting all the records put together and out the door on time.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t After receiving a free back massage at the church, Donnellan played with her daughter, who will turn two in a few weeks. Her family returned to Juneau from Anchorage for her job in October. They are preparing to move into a live-aboard boat or an RV.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “We were aware of the housing issues and the only reason we came back was because this job had a high enough salary that we could afford to live here,” she said.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Donnellan said her family has to move out of a seasonal rental in a month. They had been planning to buy a home, but with the loss of her job that’s no longer a possibility. Still, they want to stay because they were able to find full-time childcare in Juneau.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Her termination letter did not cite poor performance as the cause of termination, but instead claimed the work she was doing no longer aligned with the agency’s interests.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Donnellan said it’s disappointing, but she still wants to serve the public and work in fisheries, and “at this point, it will just be a matter of whether there’s a job available and if the stars align.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t She encouraged fishermen experiencing delays to reach out to Alaska’s congressional delegation and said the program losing even one employee is dire.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “People think that the impact is less here, but there are just less people to start with,” Donnellan said.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t An anonymous NOAA employee at Saturday’s event said the impacts of Donnellan leaving were immediately felt. She said the week had been a mess and in the office, they would look at each other and say, “Sabrina could have been working on this.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t A memorandum<\/a> released Feb. 26 by the Office of Personnel Management states the agency reorganization plans are to increase productivity and eliminate non-essential roles to lower overall government expenditures.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Tim Hicks is the president of the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) Local 251, which covers the Tongass National Forest and Chugach National Forest. He met with fired U.S. Forest Service employees on Saturday.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Hicks said many employees had successful job performance. Additionally, the Master Agreement<\/a> between the U.S. Forest Service and NFFE states employees will be given the chance to correct their performance. NFFE is working at the local level to minimize the impact of unlawful terminations, according to Hicks.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Mason Hearn worked for the U.S. Forest Service as a park ranger at the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Center. There are only two employees left<\/a> after 80% of staff were fired.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t An independent federal board on March 5 ordered the temporary <\/a>reinstatement<\/a> of nearly 6,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture employees, with the agency given five days to comply. Hearn said he hasn’t been asked to return to work yet, and while he would consider it, he would be wary because he could be fired again.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t He moved to Juneau from Oklahoma for the job. Like Donnellan, his housing situation is now unstable. He may have to leave Juneau. On Saturday, he talked with Hicks and the Alaska Job Center.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “Right now I’m mainly looking for jobs, something to do while I’m unemployed, something to move forward with,” Hearn said. “I’m also looking for housing. I am living in the bunkhouse that the Forest Service provides right now. I don’t know how long that’s going to last.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t He said he hopes visitors to the Mendenhall Glacier this summer will be safe, and he is uncertain what the future holds.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/38835358_web1_FederalEmployees-JUE-250312-2_1.jpg\")
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