Trump Moves To Strip Union Rights Of NIOSH Workers

The Trump administration intends to strip the union rights of federal health workers, including some in Morgantown.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) wants to end collective bargaining agreements (CBA) for its employees at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

That’s according to the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents NIOSH workers in Morgantown and Pittsburgh.

The NIOSH Coal Worker Health Surveillance Program in Morgantown screens coal miners for black lung disease and helps them with job transfers that can protect their health.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attempted to eliminate the program in April, but a May injunction from U.S. District Judge Irene Berger forced HHS to bring it back.

A mobile clinic, which was idle for weeks, made visits to northern Appalachia in July and this month. No visits have been scheduled yet to central or southern Appalachia.

Kennedy also moved to terminate workers at the NIOSH mine research division in Pittsburgh. Those workers remain on administrative leave.

“Canceling our CBAs and gutting our workforce at the same time weakens CDC’s readiness and makes America less safe and less healthy,” said AFGE Local 1916 President Brendan Demich. “You cannot cut capacity, silence workers, and then claim you are strengthening public health. Those two positions contradict each other.”