Layoffs threaten US firefighter cancer registry, mine research and mask lab
Source: AP
Updated 8:00 AM EDT, April 5, 2025
NEW YORK (AP) — Government staffing cuts have gutted a small U.S. health agency that aims to protect workers — drawing rebukes from firefighters, coal miners, medical equipment manufacturers and a range of others.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a Cincinnati-based agency that is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is losing about 850 of its approximately 1,000 employees, according to estimates from a union and affected employees. Among those ousted were its director, Dr. John Howard, who had been in the job through three previous presidential administrations.
The layoffs are stalling — and perhaps ending — many programs, including a firefighter cancer registry and a lab that is key to certifying respirators for many industries. The cuts are “a very pointed attack on workers in this country,” said Micah Niemeier-Walsh, vice president of the union local representing NIOSH employees in Cincinnati.
Unions that represent miners, nurses, flight attendants and other professions have criticized the cuts, saying it will slow the identification and prevention of workplace dangers. Rallies in Cincinnati and other cities drew not only fired CDC employees but also members of unions representing teachers, postal workers and bricklayers, Niemeier-Walsh said.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/cdc-niosh-hhs-layoffs-2bac1f36b5c6361df7cbca8843d9f01e
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