Nearly 1,000 federal employees laid off by the Trump Administration last April from the agency meant to protect workplace safety will be able to return to the job.
Terminations from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health were overturned Wednesday, meaning a return to the office for scientists, engineers and technical experts who prevent injuries, illnesses and deaths at workplaces nationwide.
“This moment belongs to every single person who refused to stay silent,” said Micah Niemeier-Walsh, industrial hygienist and vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees, in a post on the union website.
“Every rally, every media interview, every petition signature, every act of solidarity by NIOSH employees and our partners in the labor movement led to this victory of saving NIOSH.”
The decision reverses a previous order to gut the agency, which includes hundreds of mine safety workers in Allegheny County.
The Pittsburgh Mining Research Division focuses on advancements in mine safety. Their work includes research into ventilation, blast shields and dust reduction, according to the Pennsylvania Capital Star. Technology developed there is used in mines across the country and their research has led to changes in mine safety standards.
Congressman Chris Deluzio, D-Fox Chapel, called the reversal a big win for Western Pennsylvania and worker safety across America.
“These workers help keep Americans safe on the job and the Trump Administration never should have fired them in the first place,” Deluzio said. “Who knows what damage has been done over the past nine months to the mission of occupational safety and health.”
It is unclear why the decision was made.
According to ABC News, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement that “the Trump Administration is committed to protecting essential services — whether it’s supporting coal miners and firefighters through NIOSH, safeguarding public health through lead prevention, or researching and tracking the most prevalent communicable diseases.”
Representatives for U.S. Sen. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick were not immediately able to be reached for comment.
The massive job cuts were part of larger restructuring under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In April, the Department of Health and Human Services initiated a “Reduction in Force” at NIOSH, placing about 90% of the agency’s staff on administrative leave.
Shortly after, more than 100 lawmakers directed a letter calling on the Administration to reverse the firings. In May, a federal judge ordered the work stoppage be reversed for about 330 workers at the group’s Respiratory Health Division.
The mining sector remained in the lurch.
Calls to representatives of U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Butler, and U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Peters, were not immediately returned.
AFGE National President Everett Kelley called the layoffs shameful and illegal, “considering that much of NIOSH’s work is required by law.”
“As the union representing these dedicated public servants, we are grateful that their jobs have been restored and we will continue fighting to ensure NIOSH has the resources and support it needs to serve the American public,” Kelley said.
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, said the move “is a win for working people and for every family who just wants their loved ones to come home safe at the end of the day.
“For months, the Trump Administration chose politics over people, sidelining the very people whose jobs are to protect workers and keep our communities safe. That decision put lives at risk and treated dedicated public servants like they were disposable.
“But workers spoke up, communities fought back and we stood with them to demand better.”