FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAY 3, 2025
UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts Condemns Cowardly Layoffs at NIOSH, Warns of Dire Consequences for Worker Safety
[TRIANGLE, VA] — United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) International President Cecil E. Roberts issued the following statement today in response to the sudden and disgraceful layoffs at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) that occurred yesterday evening:
“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 in the evening — 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.”
