Advocates for NIOSH picket as deadline to restore jobs looms near
The American Federation of Government Employees sent representatives to speak with congressional staff in Washington, and in Morgantown picketers tried to make their voices heard. The
AFGE says a diminished NIOSH will make it harder to keep workers safe, and in the long run, this will cost the government money. Cathy Tinney-Zara, President of AFGE Local 3430 and also a NIOSH worker impacted by the RIF, argued that preventing injuries, accidents, and illnesses saves the government money in the long run. NIOSH might prevent a worker from getting so injured that they have to enroll in Social Security. Furthermore, with a diminished NIOSH, employers could see higher costs from workers compensation fees, and society could see higher healthcare costs.
Randolph County superintendent says new policy that conflicts with WV Code is 'inaccurate'
State Senator Mike Oliverio said while he believes the federal government must make cuts, NIOSH should not be one of them.
'There's nowhere else in the country that does what NIOSH does here in West Virginia, and so it's not like other federal facilities where you can cut here or trim there, and somebody else can pick up the slack,' Oliverio said. 'This is the place in the country that is designed to protect workers, everything from head to toe, whether it's a helmet, a respirator, steel toe boot, everything in between.'
While some NIOSH employees have returned to their positions, most of them remain on the chopping block, with the official termination date being in early June. Unless a reversal happens by then, the jobs will be permanently lost.
12 News will continue to keep you up-to-date with developments with NIOSH as the deadline approaches.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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