I spent years working in an environment where many of us felt undervalued and voiceless. That is why this petition is so personal to me. As employees of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), our work is vital to American agriculture. We provide essential data that guides farmers, policymakers, and agricultural production decisions across the country. Yet the conditions under which we work do not always reflect the importance of our mission.

The ongoing USDA reorganization makes collective representation more important than ever.

Office closures, organizational changes, duty-station changes, and employee relocations can have profound consequences for workers and their families. Employees may face difficult choices about uprooting their households, relocating hundreds of miles, or trying to preserve their careers while managing significant personal and financial hardships.

These decisions also affect NASS itself. When experienced employees leave because of disruptive reorganizations, the agency risks losing institutional knowledge, technical expertise, and years of experience that cannot easily be replaced. Staffing losses and uncertainty can undermine morale, disrupt operations, and threaten the continuity of the statistical programs on which American agriculture depends.

Employees who dedicate their careers to public service deserve meaningful opportunities to be heard when decisions affect their livelihoods. We should not have to face major changes to our careers and working conditions without a collective voice.

Union representation would give eligible NASS employees a formal mechanism to advocate for fair treatment, transparent procedures, reasonable workplace policies, and greater accountability. A union could seek to negotiate over legally negotiable working conditions and procedures surrounding reorganizations, relocations, telework, workload, and other employment matters. While federal law places limits on collective bargaining, representation can provide employees with a stronger, more organized voice in workplace decisions.

Unionization can also help employees address workplace concerns through established grievance procedures and collective representation rather than having to navigate difficult issues individually. Fair treatment, respectful management, and clear expectations benefit employees and the agency alike.

The agricultural sector relies on accurate, timely, and objective data from NASS. Farmers use these statistics to make production and marketing decisions, while policymakers and agricultural businesses depend on them to understand the state of American agriculture. Maintaining a skilled, experienced, and supported workforce is essential to fulfilling this mission.

This effort is not about opposing every organizational change or preventing management from carrying out its responsibilities. It is about ensuring that employees have a meaningful voice, that workplace decisions are handled fairly, and that the consequences for employees and their families are taken seriously.

We are asking NASS non-supervisory employees to come together and explore collective representation.

By supporting this petition, you are supporting the right of NASS employees to organize, advocate for fair working conditions, and have a stronger voice in decisions that affect their careers and the future of the agency.

Please sign and share this petition. Together, we can work toward a workplace where employees are treated with respect, experienced public servants are valued, and the people responsible for producing America’s agricultural statistics have a collective voice.