Wyoming workers press federal, state lawmakers to support their rights

CHEYENNE — Workers from across the Equality State gathered at the state Capitol on Friday to demand that state and federal elected officials put workers first.

A flyer advertising the protest encouraged Wyomingites to join their peers in every field – from mining to federal and state employees –  to “remind our elected officials that Wyoming’s strength flows from its working people.”

The Capitol has been seeing frequent protests during the current legislative session, which ends Thursday.

However, this demonstration was unique in its claims to be a nonpartisan solidarity gathering.

The event was organized by Wyoming State AFL-CIO Executive Director Marcie Kindred.

“Whether the decisions are being made at a state or federal level, they’re elected to represent us,” Kindred said. “They work for us, and we want to make sure that they keep us in mind when they make decisions.”

The rally

Kindred was contacted a week prior to Friday’s demonstration by local miner and United SteelWorkers Local 13214 President Marshal Cummings of Green River. Cummings contacted Kindred concerned about several issues facing the Wyoming workforce, from mining to education, and the two were able to rally a crowd of more than a hundred people.

“I think that it was time to let legislators locally know we’re over all the weird stuff,” Cummings said. “Everyone in Wyoming is a hard worker. The Wyoming way is the labor way.”

Growing up working in Wyoming and going into a mine for the first time five days prior to graduating high school, Cummings has watched his working- class peers lose critical protections and benefits.

“(If) big business gets its way, the first thing they’re going to start cutting is my retirement, my wage, my safety and health,” Cummings said. “Those things are something that I worked hard for.”

He added that not only did he work hard for his benefits, but the people that came before him also worked hard for him to have those things.

“Especially southwest Wyoming, really strong laborers — they’re the reason that I got what I got now, and I’m not interested in letting it go,” Cummings said.

Workers from several core Wyoming industries held signs calling out the current Trump administration over federal employee layoffs and demanding action from lawmakers.

Cummings invited his former teacher, Daniel Parson, to speak to the crowd about some of the legislation that will directly impact teachers.

“I’m a product of Wyoming education, so when I see that they’re coming after education in a weird way that I don’t really believe in, I think it’s time to let them know that’s not what we stand for,” Cummings said.

Parson addressed the crowd, saying this legislative session has seen several bills that have directly attacked education.

“I have never felt so disrespected in my life, as a teacher, by legislators,” Parson said, “and more supported in my life by former students, family members, administrators and others.”

Parson noted that he believed Wyomingites are in favor of a strong education, and the agenda of their elected officials has not reflected that.

“I really suspect that something’s going on,” Parson said. “Because how do you get elected and then ignore the will of your constituents?”

To the gallery

In a moment of serendipity, one of the many bills that workers were concerned about, Senate File 175, “Unemployment insurance coverage-period and reporting,” was being heard on the floor of the House of Representatives during the rally.

The bill would cut unemployment benefits from 26 weeks to 20 weeks, with supporters of the bill citing a low unemployment rate as a reason to cut back resources and save employers on their premiums.

Kindred encouraged workers at the rally to set down their signs and quietly file into the gallery to show representatives exactly who they were taking unemployment benefits from.

“I’m inviting whoever wants to come and join us to sit in the gallery while they discuss the bills that affect your everyday lives,” Kindred said to a cheering crowd.

Many attendees work in industries that would be directly impacted by the bill, the most prominent of which is construction.

Due to the relatively short construction season in Wyoming, it is not uncommon for construction workers to be laid off between seasons, relying on unemployment while they seek another seasonal role.

“The top industries that utilize that benefit are some of Wyoming’s highest-paid, highest- skilled workers, and that’s how they weather the boom-and- bust and seasonal way of the work,” Kindred said. “So cutting that is going to affect a lot of our skilled trades directly.”

Reps. Karlee Provenza, D-Laramie, and Mike Yin, D-Jackson, came outside to the rally to show their support for workers, and they carried that support onto the House floor.

From the floor, Provenza acknowledged the workers and encouraged her peers in the House to applaud them for their hard work in the state.

The vote

The House was largely split on SF 175. Proponents of the bill say that less unemployment time would save employers and encourage people to find work. Opponents said the bill wouldn’t save employers nearly enough to account for the workers that they would lose as people go to other states to seek better jobs.

“This is to help employees find work sooner than later,” Rep. Scott Heiner, R-Green River, said in support of the bill. “Let’s get them back to work. They want to work, that’s self-esteem. People get their self-esteem from jobs, from being able to work and provide an income for themselves and their families. This is a safety net. It’s an opportunity to help them get back on their feet and get back to work.”

This sentiment was echoed by Rep. Jayme Lein, R-Casper.

“My dad often told me that opportunity is overlooked because it looks like hard work. I’ve had the opportunity to take some of those less-than-desirable jobs, but it’s made me a better person,” Lien said. “It’s worked on my character and made sure that I understood the value of every dollar that I was earning, which leads me to fiscal responsibility.”

Lien said the state should not be responsible for picking up the slack when people mismanage their funds.

“Why is it our job to fill the gap where they are misbehaving with their funds,” Lien said. “When did that become the government’s job, would be my question. I am for this legislation because we’re still giving out that helping hand, but we’re not making it a way of life.”

Yin pointed out how insulting it is that legislators said they would be giving people self-esteem by cutting benefits.

“The only real purpose that I’ve heard from the bill is that we need to shorten the timeline and give workers the self-esteem to go to work?” Yin said.

“I think that is frankly insulting to the workers of Wyoming. They want to go to work!”

Yin reiterated a point made by many representatives: Wyoming has a workforce problem and cannot afford to lose workers.

“Workforce is our number one issue,” Yin said. “If we need more workers in the oil field, we need to train them. We need to make sure our kids want to come back to the state. We need to make sure that they can raise families here, not cut their benefits to give them self-esteem.”

After nearly an hour of heated discussion, the House was unable to come to a conclusive vote, and SF 175 was indefinitely postponed.

The presence of the workers during that discussion definitely impacted the vote, Kindred told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle via text message.

“We showed the working people of Wyoming their collective power when they engage in the process, and we forced legislators to make a decision: Are you here representing your constituents? Or are you here on marching orders for some political ideology?” Kindred wrote. “Today, they made the right decision.”

This story was published on March 1, 2025.