One Termination Story of Many Coming from Midewin
A Cautionary Tale of Federal Employee Reduction
Erick Ignaczak received the call he was terminated at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, the Chicago area’s biggest wild space, the day after Valentine’s Day while visiting his newborn nephew.
Background
Ignaczak started as facility operations specialist, a unique job within the Forest Service, in January 2024. He worked at maintaining Midewin’s welcome center, supervisor’s office, horticulture building, machine shed, and hotshot base. He had a background in facilities and came from the East Coast to Chicago in 2007 to work in the field.
Termination without Reason
In his area, six people were terminated on Saturday, part of President Donald Trump’s federal employee reduction. “None of us who were let go had poor records,” he said. “We worked our asses off.” In fact, Ignaczak said his reviews were so good he received bonuses, such as paid time off. “There was no reason, we understood these terminations were coming for anyone on probation,” he said.
Loss of Goodwill and Trust
Ignaczak believes that the terminations are part of a larger plan to privatize and exploit public lands. “They want to sell the forest [prairie] to private organizations to exploit,” he said. “Same thing is happening to the national parks. They are already discussing how to minimize the boundaries of the national parks.” He said the script was already laid out in Project 2025. “A lot of good people were let go, people who actually give a [crap] about the job,” he said.
Seeking Justice
Ignaczak is signing up for two known class-action lawsuits and is exploring other options. “There are appeals,” he said. “We are all learning about them as we go along.”
Conclusion
The story of Erick Ignaczak serves as a cautionary tale of the devastating impact of federal employee reductions on dedicated public servants. As the government continues to downsize, more stories like his will emerge, highlighting the importance of protecting our public lands and the employees who work tirelessly to maintain them.
FAQs
* What is Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie?
Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is the Chicago area’s biggest wild space, preserving over 15,000 acres of tallgrass prairie.
* What is the purpose of Project 2025?
Project 2025 is a plan to minimize the boundaries of national parks and sell public lands to private organizations for exploitation.
* What is a facility operations specialist?
A facility operations specialist is a unique job within the Forest Service, responsible for maintaining facilities such as welcome centers, offices, and equipment sheds.
* What is the current state of the national parks?
The national parks are already facing threats to their boundaries, with discussions underway to minimize their size and sell public lands to private organizations.
