Latest news with #CecilRoberts
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump administration reverses MSHA closures that coal mining advocates fought to keep
CLARKSBURG, (WBOY) — Appalachia and coal miner advocacy groups celebrated that dozens of Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) offices that were scheduled to close will now remain open, the Trump administration announced Thursday. A total of 34 offices were set to close, including one in Summersville, West Virginia, after being targeted by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) earlier this year. The terminated leases for the offices would have saved an estimated $18 million, the Associated Press reported, but the United Mine Workers of America said that the closures would have had 'dangerous implications.' 'The idea that anyone would even consider shuttering dozens of MSHA field offices, most of which are located in remote mining communities, shows a fundamental misunderstanding of what it takes to keep miners safe,' UMWA International President Cecil Roberts said in a press release. Elon Musk is leaving the Trump administration after criticizing president's 'big beautiful bill' The union press release said the group is relieved that the closures have been reversed. Appalachian Voices, a group that spoke out against what it called a 'targeted attack on Appalachian coal miner safety' after announced cuts in MSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), also applauded the reversal. 'For months, coal communities have been raising the alarm about how cuts to MSHA and NIOSH would be disastrous for our miners,' Vonda Robinson, Vice President of the National Black Lung Association said in the Appalachian Voices press release. 'We're glad that the administration has listened and restored these offices, keeping mine inspectors in place.' Some MSHA offices are still listed on the chopping block on the DOGE website, but the statement did not indicate whether those closings will move forward, the Associated Press reported. According to the AP, MSHA has seen a reduction in staff by 27% in past 10 years, even without the cuts proposed by DOGE. DOGE also ordered cuts in NIOSH, including hundreds of jobs in Morgantown; some of those jobs have been restored. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
More NIOSH layoffs reported Friday evening
MORGANTOWN, (WBOY) — On Friday 12 News brought you the story on how several NIOSH employees were able to return to work in Morgantown, though their stay could not be guaranteed. According to the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) however, the layoffs are continuing. Suspect from Mannington standoff arrested in Monongah UMWA International President Cecil Roberts released a statement on Saturday morning in response to more reported NIOSH layoffs that were announced Friday evening. The statement reads as follows: What happened at NIOSH last night is nothing short of shameful. Telling hardworking, dedicated employees that they no longer have a job at 6:30 on a Friday night — after the workday is done and with no forewarning — is cowardly, heartless, and utterly unacceptable. Let me be clear: this is not just an attack on jobs. This is an attack on the very foundation of worker safety in the United States of America. The dismantling of the Respiratory Disease Division at NIOSH is not just a bureaucratic shuffle. It is the elimination of our nation's leading defense against black lung disease and other respiratory illnesses that afflict miners and workers across this country. This division is responsible for developing life-saving coal dust and silica monitors. It runs the miner X-ray surveillance program. It oversees MSHA's Part 90 program — a program that literally exists to save the lungs and lives of American coal miners. Now, with the stroke of a pen and the cowardice of an evening layoff notice, those protections are being stripped away. Who is going to monitor dust levels in our mines? Who will ensure the next generation of miners doesn't end up with the same black lungs as their fathers and grandfathers? The United Mine Workers of America will not stand by silently while decades of progress are gutted overnight. This isn't just detrimental — it's catastrophic. It's detrimental to coal miners. Detrimental to American workers. Detrimental to American families. The UMWA's number one focus has always been, and always will be, the health and safety of our members. We will fight tooth and nail to ensure these programs are restored, these protections are preserved, and that our nation never forgets the sacrifices miners make to power this country.' UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts 12 News reached out to the UMWA for more information, specifically is those at the Morgantown location were involved. In response, the UMWA said, 'From our understanding every employee except for a few in Atlanta and DC are laid off. But we are not subject matter experts. It's all hearsay.' Cathy Tinney-Zara, a union representative for AFGE Local 3430 with NIOSH in Morgantown told 12 News that she began receiving word of the layoffs Friday evening, and that those who received them were put on administrative leave effective immediately. She had not received any official word to ignore any RIF letters that were sent out on May 1 and 2. As of right now, those who received RIFs in April will have their last day on June 2, while those who received them on Friday will have their last day July 2, according to Tinney-Zara. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Significant downsizing' happening at NIOSH in Morgantown: UMWA
MORGANTOWN, (WBOY) — The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is laying off hundreds of workers, according to the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA). Although specifics are limited, the UMWA International President Cecil Roberts said in a statement Tuesday that 'NIOSH began laying off hundreds of workers who are engaged in research and the improvement of products and practices.' The statement also said that NIOSH 'announced significant downsizing of offices in Morgantown, and Pittsburgh, Pa.' on Tuesday. 12 News has reached out to officials and representatives for more specific information on the downsizing. West Virginia Delegate John Williams (Monongalia, 080) told 12 News that he has 'seen no official statement' but that he does 'believe the reports are accurate.' The Morgantown NIOSH facility has been operational since the organization's inception in 1970, and grew from 20 to about 600 employees by 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Fairmont Novelis plant closure is 'major loss' after more than 100 years in community The Morgantown facility, as well as the Pittsburgh facility, focus on research relating to health and safety issues affecting workers and coal miners, including respiratory disease. Roberts said in his statement that the coal industry 'relies on the research done there to improve its safety practices.' Roberts also said that the layoffs, compiled with closures in the Mine Safety and Health Administration and fees and tariffs expected to be placed on West Virginia coal that is exported to China, give the appearance that miners have 'a target on their backs.' 'I do not think that these actions are being done in a coordinated way to hurt the American coal industry and those who work in it. But that is the effect. Miners have and can continue to produce the materials to power American homes, produce American steel and so many other products our society uses every day,' Roberts said in the release. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
