RFK Jr.’s HHS executed further layoffs on Friday at NIOSH, impacting nearly all remaining staff as part of a departmental restructuring.
The restructuring aims to save $1.8 billion annually and reduce the workforce by 20,000 employees, merging NIOSH into the new Administration for a Healthy America.
The layoffs affect critical NIOSH functions, including firefighter fatality investigations and miner safety programs.
Labor groups criticize the layoffs, while HHS claims essential services will remain intact, despite conflicting accounts from laid-off workers.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) executed further layoffs impacting nearly all remaining staff at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) on Friday, as part of a broad departmental restructuring initiated earlier this year. The move culminated weeks of uncertainty for the agency, following an initial round of layoff notices in April and subsequent temporary reinstatements of some staff, and has drawn sharp criticism from labor groups, contrasting with HHS assurances that essential services will remain intact.
The restructuring stems from a plan announced by HHS, aimed at saving $1.8 billion annually and reducing the department’s workforce by roughly 20,000 full-time employees. As part of this overhaul, NIOSH, along with several other agencies, is slated to be combined into a new entity called the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA). HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. framed the changes as making the department more efficient and realigning it with “new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic,” stating the department would do “more – a lot more – at a lower cost to the taxpayer.”
Implementation sparks uncertainty: The process began around April 1 when NIOSH staff received initial “reduction in force” notices, placing them on administrative leave ahead of potential June termination dates, according to reporting from CBS News. Following bipartisan opposition from members of Congress, some staff, including Director John Howard, were temporarily brought back in late April. However, an internal memo obtained by NBC News indicated Howard acknowledged this was a “temporary arrangement.”
The situation escalated when nearly all remaining staff, including unionized employees, received new layoff notices effective July 2. The notices reportedly stated that employee duties “have been identified as either unnecessary or virtually identical to duties being performed elsewhere in the agency.” This action occurred despite ongoing difficulties for unions attempting to negotiate with HHS, reportedly hampered by a Trump-era executive order limiting collective bargaining rights for agencies like the CDC, which is currently being challenged in court.
Worker safety programs impacted: The May 2 layoffs affect a wide range of NIOSH functions, including firefighter fatality investigations, workplace health hazard evaluations, and elements of the World Trade Center Health Program. Also impacted are miner safety programs, including the Respiratory Disease Division responsible for monitoring and preventing black lung disease.
The move drew a sharp rebuke from the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA). In a statement reported by local outlet WDTV, UMWA President Cecil Roberts called the handling of the layoffs “shameful,” “cowardly, heartless, and utterly unacceptable.”
Conflicting accounts and sharp criticism: Following the layoffs, HHS posted on social media stating that “essential services provided by NIOSH will remain fully intact and uninterrupted,” claiming no employees were terminated that day but rather received a “required notice.” However, laid-off workers described this account as misleading, noting they received layoff letters and were locked out of agency buildings.
RFK Jr.’s HHS executed further layoffs on Friday at NIOSH, impacting nearly all remaining staff as part of a departmental restructuring.
The restructuring aims to save $1.8 billion annually and reduce the workforce by 20,000 employees, merging NIOSH into the new Administration for a Healthy America.
The layoffs affect critical NIOSH functions, including firefighter fatality investigations and miner safety programs.
Labor groups criticize the layoffs, while HHS claims essential services will remain intact, despite conflicting accounts from laid-off workers.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) executed further layoffs impacting nearly all remaining staff at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) on Friday, as part of a broad departmental restructuring initiated earlier this year. The move culminated weeks of uncertainty for the agency, following an initial round of layoff notices in April and subsequent temporary reinstatements of some staff, and has drawn sharp criticism from labor groups, contrasting with HHS assurances that essential services will remain intact.
The restructuring stems from a plan announced by HHS, aimed at saving $1.8 billion annually and reducing the department’s workforce by roughly 20,000 full-time employees. As part of this overhaul, NIOSH, along with several other agencies, is slated to be combined into a new entity called the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA). HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. framed the changes as making the department more efficient and realigning it with “new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic,” stating the department would do “more – a lot more – at a lower cost to the taxpayer.”
Implementation sparks uncertainty: The process began around April 1 when NIOSH staff received initial “reduction in force” notices, placing them on administrative leave ahead of potential June termination dates, according to reporting from CBS News. Following bipartisan opposition from members of Congress, some staff, including Director John Howard, were temporarily brought back in late April. However, an internal memo obtained by NBC News indicated Howard acknowledged this was a “temporary arrangement.”
The situation escalated when nearly all remaining staff, including unionized employees, received new layoff notices effective July 2. The notices reportedly stated that employee duties “have been identified as either unnecessary or virtually identical to duties being performed elsewhere in the agency.” This action occurred despite ongoing difficulties for unions attempting to negotiate with HHS, reportedly hampered by a Trump-era executive order limiting collective bargaining rights for agencies like the CDC, which is currently being challenged in court.
Worker safety programs impacted: The May 2 layoffs affect a wide range of NIOSH functions, including firefighter fatality investigations, workplace health hazard evaluations, and elements of the World Trade Center Health Program. Also impacted are miner safety programs, including the Respiratory Disease Division responsible for monitoring and preventing black lung disease.
The move drew a sharp rebuke from the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA). In a statement reported by local outlet WDTV, UMWA President Cecil Roberts called the handling of the layoffs “shameful,” “cowardly, heartless, and utterly unacceptable.”
Conflicting accounts and sharp criticism: Following the layoffs, HHS posted on social media stating that “essential services provided by NIOSH will remain fully intact and uninterrupted,” claiming no employees were terminated that day but rather received a “required notice.” However, laid-off workers described this account as misleading, noting they received layoff letters and were locked out of agency buildings.
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