Region 9

Heroes of USFWS HQ,

8-1-2026 update

Building Our Voice: AFGE Region 9 Union Update & Next Steps

Dear Region 9 Professionals,

Welcome! Thanks to your votes, we are pleased to officially announce that we have a union! This is a major milestone in building a stronger, more equitable workplace for all of us. The next step, likely to occur in the next few weeks or months is for AFGE to officially charter our union.

While our election established a union for R9 professionals, we are actively working to include the rest of our eligible colleagues in our union.

Our ultimate vision is to establish strong FWS unions across all regions. We are building momentum nationwide with established locals in nearly all regions and Region 4 progressing toward their election.

As we establish our footing, we want to share our current status, introduce our interim leadership, and outline how you can get involved. Our primary goals right now are to complete the establishment of our local, determine and advance our interests, and expand our representation.

Interim Executives

To guide us through this foundational phase, we have established an interim executive board. We will oversee operations until official elections are held.

Your interim executive board is:

Role: Name, email, @signal handle

President: Jonathan Cummings, hqesorganizing@gmail.com, @JonathanCummings

Vice President: Michelle Christman, christman.michelle.r@gmail.com, @ (crab emoji) x 

Secretary: Danica Schaffer-Smith, dschaffersmith@gmail.com, @Dionaea.07

Treasurer: Robin Sawyer, robindsawyer@gmail.com, @Robin

Vice Secretary: Lauren Ramos, laurram18@gmail.com, @laurram.38

Vice Treasurer: Matt Luizza, matt.luizza@gmail.com, @Tembo

Lead Steward: Maria Tursi, mltursi@gmail.com, @MT

Bylaws

We have adopted a set of bylaws modeled after the AFGE Constitution and the bylaws adopted by the other Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) locals. These bylaws will be posted to our regions webpage: https://www.fwsafge.org/regions/r9. The main elements of the bylaws are our governance structure, meeting practices, and dues. The USFWS locals have adopted a dues structure aimed at equitable access to membership with three tiers of dues rates based on GS level to better align dues with income.

The dues shall be set by member’s grade level in the General Schedule or Wage Grade systems:

1. Grades 1-8 will be $17 per pay period

2. Grades 9-11 will be $22 per pay period

3. Grades 12-15 will be $27 per pay period

Dues are crucial to support AFGE’s representation and legal efforts, enforce contracts, and cover operating expenses and paying dues establishes your union membership, giving you a voice in our decisions and member benefits. We will send updates when our charter goes through and you can sign up for eDues.

Action Items: How You Can Help

To ensure our records are accurate and our communication is seamless, we need your assistance with two critical items:

• Verify Your SF-50: Please check your latest SF-50. Look at Block 37 (Bargaining Unit Status). 

  • Code “4770”: indicates you are now represented by our local. Once AFGE completes chartering of our local, please consider registering for eDues to obtain membership benefits. Updates about eDues to follow.

  • Code "7777": indicates you are eligible for union representation, but are not currently represented. Please reach out to us at hqesorganizing@gmail.com, hqnwrsorganizing@proton.me, or any of the emails above to register your support.

• Grow Our Contact List: We want to ensure no colleague is left out. Please share this update with fellow Region 9 professionals and encourage them to join our communication network.

Upcoming Information & Resources

Over the next few weeks, keep an eye out for additional communications addressing:

• eDues: We will share a link to our eDues portal so that you can become a member and obtain member benefits.

• Non-Professional Staff Unionizing Updates: You may have received a message from Naomi detailing the status of non-professional organizing, clarifying job series eligibility, and providing a direct link to the union track portal. Please help support your colleagues by aiding this unionizing effort.

• Who’s Who & FAQs: Maria and Michelle are compiling an FAQ document to clarify leadership roles, union protections, and what representation means for you.

• Negotiation Collective File: We are building a formal file to log collective workplace concerns. This tracker will serve as our foundation when we head to the bargaining table. Please contact us with any concerns, information to share, or benefits to negotiate for.

Stay Connected

Your voice is the foundation of this union. Please reach out to share your ideas, ask questions, or flag workplace issues that require future negotiation.

Links:
Nationwide USFWS union website: https://www.fwsafge.org/

Our Region 9 website: https://www.fwsafge.org/regions/r9

In Solidarity,

Jonathan Cummings, Interim President

AFGE USFWS Region 9

4-23-2026 update

Results are in. You overwhelmingly voted yes! 98% of voters elected to form a headquarters professional employees union!

Now what? 

• Didn't get a ballot? We need your statement of interest! Contact us to get an interest card to sign:

  • We are still working toward unionizing with our "non-professional" colleagues. If you are interested in unionizing but didn't receive a ballot you were likely classified as a non-professional employee. Note, this is annoying and unrepresentative legal naming and not our choice of wording. We know how professional everyone is! If you are in any of these job series, and even if you aren't but didn't get a ballot, you were likely classified as a non-professional employee and can work toward joining us by signing an interest card: 0025, 0090, 0203, 0303, 0304, 0305, 0318, 0326, 0344, 0391, 0404, 0455, 0561, 1106, 1311, 1370, 1371, 1801, 2001, 2005, 2181, 2210, 2805, 4206, 4607, 4742, 4749, 5703, 5716

• Our election will become certified and AFGE will be certified as our representing union.

• Your organizers will begin operating as interim officers as we progress toward chartering a local.

How can I contribute to supporting our union? 

• Connect with our "non-professional" colleagues to help collect statement of interest cards so we can add them to our union.

• Consider running for a position in our union, otherwise offering your skills, or nominating a fellow employee

• Let us know what to bargain for. What concerns do you have and what employee benefits do you want? Stay tuned for ways to voice your input or contact us directly.

Questions, Concerns, Requests

If you have questions contact @jwcB3s.99, @noma.66, or @Dionaea.07 on Signal or hqesorganizing@gmail.com and hqnwrsorganizing@proton.me by email. Note that signal is checked more frequently that email.