Michael Sainato at The Guardian reports that fired Employees are warning drastic cuts at a Federal Workplace Safety Research Agency increase the risk of illness and injury for Workers across the U.S. and undermine preparations for public health emergencies. The Trump Administration ordered widespread layoffs at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), inside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), when it issued a “reduction in force” notice to some 85% of the agency’s 1,100 Employees on April 1st. While some of those terminations were later reversed following push-back from Labor Unions and the public, only 328 Employees were reinstated. “An immediate impact is that we’re not as prepared for some type of public health emergency,” said Dr. Micah Niemeier-Walsh, an Industrial Hygienist at NIOSH in Ohio, who was fired, and then reinstated. “Long term, the Trump Administration talks about wanting to bring back or expand certain sectors of the economy like mining or manufacturing. Those are jobs that really rely on NIOSH work.” The National AFL-CIO and several other Labor Unions have filed a lawsuit this month to restore the cut programs at NIOSH, arguing the cuts “directly threaten the lives of Workers whose safety and health depend on NIOSH” services that are Congressionally mandated. Even though some of the initial cuts have been reversed, “we have deep concerns that the whole reason NIOSH was started to begin with is still eliminated,” said Rebecca Reindel, the Director of Occupational Safety and Health at the National AFL-CIO.

To Read This Labor News Story In Its Entirety, Go To: Trump’s safety research cuts heighten workplace risks, federal workers warn | Business | The Guardian