Internal NFFE News
January 21, 2026
The National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) is celebrating an important step forward for Forest Service law enforcement officers (FS LEOs), following successful collaboration between NFFE Local 5300, Local 5300 President Roni Fein, and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) management to increase pay grades for certain law enforcement positions across the agency.
The changes, which apply across the agency, address long-standing concerns that USFS LEO position descriptions and corresponding pay grades did not accurately reflect the scope, complexity, and risks of the work being performed. For years, USFS law enforcement officers have raised concerns that they were being compensated at lower levels than their counterparts in other land management agencies, despite performing comparable duties.
Fein shared why this is such an important step:
“This will allow USFS LE to compete with recruiting the best applicants for our unique law enforcement jobs. The promotion will also aid in retention of current employees who might have left to our agency counter parts, as they are hirer graded. Lastly, it’s a huge morale booster, especially for the officers who have been around a while and have felt like the black sheep, that both LEI management and USFS Management sees us, sees the Local, and they appreciate who we are and the work we do.”
Through sustained advocacy and direct engagement with management, Local 5300 helped bring attention to these inequities and supported efforts to update position descriptions and classifications. The resulting pay grade increases represent meaningful progress toward aligning USFS LEO compensation with that of other federal law enforcement officers doing similar work.
And, this continued success highlights the importance and strength of our locals.
NFFE National emphasized that this development reflects the value of persistent local union engagement and collaboration, as well as the importance of accurately documenting the duties and performance expectations of federal employees. Correctly classified position descriptions are essential not only for fair pay, but also for recruitment, retention, and workforce morale. All of which remain of the utmost importance to NFFE.
NFFE leaders stressed that work remains, and the union will continue to push for improved pay and treatment. Many USFS employees continue to work under outdated or inaccurate position descriptions that do not fully capture the responsibilities they carry.
Fein echoed this saying, “The local is not done yet!”
“This promotion only impacted sworn officers, but the administrative support BUEs were not included. The Local is going to work hand in hand with LEI management through the same process to get the admins the pay they deserve as well. With out admin, USFS LE as a whole would not be able to function properly,” Fein said.
NFFE remains committed to advocating at both the local and national levels to ensure federal employees are fairly compensated and properly classified. The progress achieved for USFS law enforcement officers demonstrates what coordinated union advocacy can accomplish – and underscores the ongoing need for continued engagement to address remaining inequities across the agency.
“I am really proud of Local 5300 for their advocacy on this issue and the outcome of their negotiations with management,” said NFFE National President Randy Erwin. “Until all federal workers are given the pay they deserve and are provided with the best possible conditions to perform their jobs, we must continue to advocate at the national and local levels.”