MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Nearly 200 union workers at the Morgantown NIOSH location have been notified they are losing their jobs as part of 10,000 job cuts in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“This letter serves as formal notification that the Department of Health and Human Services will be implementing a Reduction In Force (RIF) of employees whose functions are either unnecessary or virtually identical to duties being performed elsewhere in the agency,” the letter to members of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3430 said.
AFGE Local 3430 President Cathy Tinney-Zara said it’s difficult news for dedicated workers.
“It’s been devastating,” Tinney-Zara said. “You don’t go into public health for no reason – you care about the public, we’re here for a mission and it’s just being destroyed.”
The RIF for 185 union employees will take effect June 30, according to the letter. Tinney-Zara said the actual number of jobs cut is more than 185.
“The 185 are bargaining unit employees,” Tinney-Zara said. “That does not count the management officials that are on top of that number, so it’s more than 185 in total.”
The NIOSH Morgantown site has generally maintained employment of around 500 people.
The employees were told the action is being taken in connection with President Donald Trump’s Feb. 11 executive order.
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito said she still supports the efforts by the Trump administration to cut spending but she wants more information on why the jobs are being cut in Morgantown.
“While I believe in the broad vision set forth by the Trump administration to right size our government, I’m concerned that today’s cuts at CDC/NIOSH could impact vital health programs that are important to many West Virginians, especially our coal miners,” Capito said in a statement given to MetroNews. “During my meetings with Secretary Kennedy prior to his confirmation and as recently as last week, we discussed how important the health of coal workers is to West Virginia. Any cuts that impact their health monitoring need to be restored immediately. I am working with the Department of Health and Human Services to understand the depth of these cuts, both to programs and the workforce in Morgantown.”
Reports indicate the HHS reorganization under new HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will consolidate the 28 division agency into 15 new units, including the new Administration for a Healthy America, or AHA, and will centralize core functions such as Human Resources, Information Technology, Procurement, External Affairs, and Policy. Regional offices will be trimmed from 10 to 5.
Overall, NIOSH in Morgantown and other sites will shoulder around 873 staff cuts of the 10,000 coming to HHS, according to reports.
Tinney-Zara said they are working with the national office of the American Federation of Government Employees Union to get workers the help they need.
“We’re investigating all of that at this time,” Tinney-Zara said. “We’re working with AFGE national to help guide us through this process.”
Tinney-Zara said just after the letters were received a shipment of fresh test animals arrived at the facility.
“We just has some delivered today that are basically going to have to be destroyed,” Tinney-Zara said. “This is unbelievable.”
She said this will be her final time at work, RIF or not.
“I’m clearing out because I’ve been here for 32 years,” Tinney-Zara said. “I’m cleaning out my office because we had no notice this was going to occur today.”
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health celebrated 50 years in Morgantown in 2021. It opened a new building in j1996 and added 200 workers.