Capito announces some temporary job reinstatements at NIOSH in Morgantown

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito said some NIOSH workers in Morgantown who lost their jobs in DOGE cuts are back to work, at least for now.

Capito posted the development on X Tuesday morning.

“Based on conversations I’ve had with folks on the ground in Morgantown and at @CDCgov, I am encouraged that some NIOSH functions for coal miner and firefighter safety are slated to resume with some select staff returning to work this week,” Capito wrote. “But my understanding is that this is temporary so my focus will continue to be on working with @HHSGov on permanently restoring these functions and personnel in the most efficient and effective manner.”

Hundreds of jobs were cut at the office and labs located near Milan Puskar Stadium earlier this spring. DOGE, the Elon Musk-led federal government spending reduction effort, called the jobs duplicative and unnecessary.

Capito penned a letter to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. last week calling for the jobs to be reinstated. West Virginia Second District Congressman Riley Moore earlier said the DOGE cuts for NIOSH was “a mistake” and the congressional delegation was working to have the jobs restored.

Capito told MetroNews that somewhere between 30 and 40 NIOSH workers would be reinstated. She says this work is essential for the state.

“The vital Programs of NIOSH, in particular, the Coal Workers Health Surveillance Program, really cannot be stopped. It’s not done anywhere else,” Capito said.

In regard to the “temporary” tag on the now reinstated jobs, Capito says there’s not answers yet, but she’s fighting for permanent restoration.

“There is a bit of uncertainty here, but I think the recognition that the program is vital and essential that the administration is putting forth by getting people back in the office is a good sign. It’s still yet to be told what the final answer will be, but I’m working towards making sure that these programs get restored permanently,” Capito said.

American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 3430 President Cathy Tinney-Zara said the reinstatements announced by Capito Tuesday, even temporary, are encouraging for some, but several hundred more workers are still jobless.

“We are thrilled to death that at least temporarily getting back some of the work of the coal team and the firefighters fatality investigation team,” Tinney-Zara said

Tinney-Zara said the workers reinstated are from very important programs relating to worker safety but it is only a small percentage of the workforce returning. The fight to win reinstatement for AFGE Local 3430 workers in other NIOSH operations continues.

“Besides coal workers and firefighters, we had many programs on many other types of workers,” Tinney-Zara said. “So, I am not taking anything at all away from getting back the protections for these workers.”

In addition to Tinney-Zara, many other have said the NIOSH function is unique and dictates the operations of other federal agencies. The data developed at NIOSH are the standards use in the field by the Occupation Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) and the Mine Health and Safety Administration (MSHA).

“What we do is helping government efficiency,” Tinney-Zara said. ” For example, if we help to protect workers it can cut down on the employer cost of compensation.”

In addition to standards and safety, the work of NIOSH reduces costs in the workplace by eliminating hazards. The advancements in safety can reduce the cost of operations, liability insurance, workers compensation costs, and medical expenses, Tinney-Zara said.

“Saving money for both employer and workers- if the workplace is safer, it will reduce health care costs,” Tinney-Zara said.

Along with Capito, Tinney-Zara said they will continue fighting for the workers who have to be called back.

“The focus is on them right now, but we have so many other workers that we still need to work on,” Tinney-Zara said.

Capito says she’s still fighting for the NIOSH workers who were not notified to come back to work.

“I don’t take that as a sign that the functions beyond the Health Surveillance for Coal Miners are considered non-essential or not a part of making America healthy again,” Capito said. “Essentially, I’m not taking this as a sign that only Health Surveillance will be the surviving part of NIOSH,” Capito said.