On the 22nd of May, an employee union belonging to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) hosted a demonstration outside the premises of the Department of Health and Human Services. This protest was in opposition to the department’s initiative to shut down specific NIOSH offices in Spokane and various other cities. These offices primarily cater to the occupational safety of diverse workforces, including miners and wildland firefighters.
The announcement of the downsizing came from the Trump administration on the 1st day of April, declaring a severe reduction in NIOSH’s staffing. The plan is to lay off approximately 85% of the institute’s personnel by June, a move forming part of their larger strategy to streamline the federal government. Given that NIOSH is an offshoot of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this hits hard.
The demonstration on Thursday witnessed participation from members of the American Federation of Government Employees hailing from states like Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. They were accompanied by workers from various other unions, including representatives from nurse, steel, and mine labor associations.
Brendan Demich, a union steward, emphasized the gravity of the work they do, extending beyond mere job safety. He propounded, ‘Our efforts make jobs safer, communities more resilient, and industrial sectors more productive for the times ahead, however, our vigilance must never waiver.’ He addressed the paradox of the call for increased mining activities while there is pressure to decrease the very personnel protecting the miners.
Demich further stressed that the crucial labor of mining safety research and general worker safety research cannot be put on the back burner. He emphasized the ultimate cost of every safety improvement, ‘Each improvement in safety is marked by the lives spared and the catastrophes avoided.’ It is no time to let up on their commitment, but, in fact, to strengthen vigilance.
The Spokane operations host two significant divisions – the Spokane Mining Research Division, focusing on hard-rock mines, and the Western States Division, which addresses safety in several industries, such as oil and gas extraction, commercial fishing, and transport.
Earlier in the week, on Tuesday, Michael Baumgartner, a Representative, penned a letter to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In this piece of correspondence, he expressed his request for the Department to reconsider the decision to close the office in Spokane.
The official response from the department was that the Trump administration remains steadfast in its support of coal miners and firefighters, with NIOSH’s indispensable services continuing unhindered. They assured that ‘The well-being and safety of our workforce persist as the Department’s topmost priority.’
Despite this reassurance from the Department, various members of the union voiced their concerns about NIOSH fulfilling its mission subsequent to the drastic staff reductions. The imminent employee terminations call into question the ability of the institute to continue its services in the same efficient manner as before.
Cecil Roberts, the president of the United Mine Workers of America, helped stir up passion and purpose amongst the NIOSH researchers with his motivating speech. Through his words, he sought to remind them of the importance of their work and the innumerable lives it has been responsible for saving over the course of NIOSH’s existence.
He left no stone unturned in iterating the tangible impact their research has had, ‘NIOSH has been a life-saving force for coal miners ever since its inception.’ Their invaluable work doesn’t merely focus on the present but influences the safety measures and protocols for generations to come.
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