WASHINGTON — Several National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) employees received word on Tuesday that they still have their jobs.
A memo from Tom Nagy, chief human capital officer with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), alerted some NIOSH employees that their previous reduction in force (RIF) notification was “hereby revoked.” The notifications were sent to employees working for the Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP), the National Firefighter Registry (NFR) and the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory. World Trade Center Health Program employees were rehired last week after bipartisan outcry.
A source at NIOSH shared with FireRescue1 that five employees with the FFFIPP received the memo. The program had nine employees in January, including one Commissioned Corps officer who did not receive the initial RIF notice. Additionally, five NFR employees received today’s notice that they will no longer be included in the RIF, although the IT workers needed to operate the Registry have reportedly not been rehired.
This latest news follows a confusing set of events over the past two months, with NIOSH workers left uncertain about their work status.
In late April, the IAFF announced that NIOSH programs focused on firefighter health and safety would be restored following a “misinterpreted executive order.” However, Cathy Tinney-Zara, a NIOSH public health analyst and president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 3430, underscored the temporary nature of the NIOSH staff callbacks. Adding to the confusion, only two days later, WTC Health Program employees were notified that their jobs had been eliminated. Five days after that, the WTC Health Program workers were rehired.
Since taking office for his second term, President Donald Trump has implemented significant federal-level changes aimed at reducing the scale of the government. The changes are designed to centralize oversight, eliminate perceived inefficiencies and non “mission-critical” programs, and exert tighter control over public spending. In March, HHS announced a “dramatic restructuring in accordance with President Trump’s Executive Order, ‘Implementing the President’s Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative.’” Days later, hundreds of NIOSH employees were notified that they had been laid off or would be laid off in June. The newest notices appear to withdraw previous RIF notifications for some, but not all, employees working on firefighter-focused programs.
