A fired worker at Minute Man National Historical Park is back on the job after two sweeping court orders found fault with the government’s purge of federal staff.
Former Minute Man superintendent BJ Dunn and town DEI Commission member Joe Palumbo confirmed the reinstatement to The Concord Bridge. The National Park Service’s press team initially declined to comment but later confirmed it is reinstating employees in compliance with court orders.
The NPS said staff will get back pay and the government “will ensure continued compensation as the White House pursues its appeals process.”
Dunn said the Minute Man worker was fired on February 14 as President Donald Trump and his administration slashed roughly 1,000 jobs across the NPS. Like many other axed workers, the staffer was a recent hire still in his probationary period.
Dunn said the worker is a former seasonal ranger who lives locally.
Deeper cuts?
Valentine’s Day firings were the latest salvo in a barrage of cuts from Trump and top adviser Elon Musk. The cuts purport to boost government efficiency, but parks advocates say they could undercut the NPS and hurt local communities.
Judges in San Francisco and Baltimore ordered agencies to reinstate fired probationary workers on March 13. After a delay, Palumbo said the Minute Man worker returned to his job on March 24.
While supporters celebrated the rehirings, they warned of lasting damage and said parks might not be out of the woods. Some fired workers might not return. Separate from the firings, some workers took buyouts and left vacancies in their wake.
National Parks Conservation Association president and CEO Theresa Pierno said in a statement that the Trump administration was still trying to “coerce staff to resign from their jobs” as of March 20. Separately, the Association of National Park Rangers flagged a February 26 memo that asked agencies to submit reorganization plans.
Former park ranger Eric Bright said Minute Man probably avoided deeper cuts because it will soon be in the spotlight for the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.
As supporters brace for future layoffs, Bright is among those protesting in support of workers. After April 19, he said at one recent demonstration, Minute Man “will be very vulnerable to losing staff.”
