Government reinstates certain safety officers who had earlier been dismissed

NIOSH Layoffs Rescinded: Hundreds of Employees to Keep Their Jobs

In a surprising turn of events, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has opted to rescind upcoming layoffs for hundreds of employees within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

According to reports, around 100 employees at the agency's Morgantown facility in West Virginia have permanently won their jobs back, impacting "many" of the agency's employees, as confirmed by NIOSH Director John Howard.

The decision to reinstate these employees was made by U.S. Judge Irene Berger, who ordered the Respiratory Health Division of NIOSH to reinstate all employees. John Howard expressed hope that they can continue to make the case for reinstating everyone at NIOSH.

Hannah Echt, the union steward for the local American Federation of Government Employees chapter, is still unsure about when and how she is expected to report to work after receiving the recall notice. The email stating that she would not be affected by the upcoming reduction in force (RIF) was sent from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

NIOSH was particularly hard hit in HHS' layoffs of 10,000 employees in April, with more than 80% of its 1,100 employees receiving RIF notices. The units recalled at NIOSH include the Office of the Director, Respiratory Health Division, Division of Safety Research, Division of Compensation and Analysis Support, National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, and part of the Division of Field Studies and Surveillance.

The Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program and the National Firefighter Registry, which were part of the original cuts, will now continue. The American Industrial Hygiene Association has vowed to fight against the reductions at NIOSH.

It is worth noting that HHS is currently facing a lawsuit from 19 states arguing the department had no constitutional or statutory authority to carry out the cuts. Staff in at least Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, in addition to Morgantown, have received recalls.

John F. Kennedy, the Assistant Secretary for Health at HHS, is scheduled to testify in the House and Senate, with Capito chairing the Senate hearing next week. The RIF rescissions at NIOSH appear unrelated to the court decision that has paused agency layoffs at most agencies for two weeks.