FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 19, 2025
Media Contact: Alex Downing, alex@centerforcoalfieldjustice.org, 412-229-7234 or Lisa DePaoli, lisa@centerforcoalfieldjustice.org, 412-229-7116
CCJ Applauds Federal Ruling Restoring Hundreds of NIOSH Jobs Protecting Coal Miners
Washington, PA – A federal judge has ordered the restoration of 328 jobs at the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH), including those who oversee the Respiratory Health Division and Coal Workers Health Surveillance Program in charge of researching and monitoring black lung in coal miners. This is a good first step to reinstate services that are crucial to miner health, and we hope to see more of these reversals.
The ruling reversed federal layoffs as well as ordering “no pause, stoppage or gap in the protections and services mandated by Congress in the Mine Act,” which could be used to undo the Trump administration’s efforts to halt implementation of new Silica Rules at coal mines.
This is a monumental win for miners who deserve safe working conditions and health precautions. It comes after weeks of advocacy and pushback by dozens of unions and organizations like ours to bring attention to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s harmful layoffs and the Trump administration’s dangerous delay of silica protections.
We will continue advocating for the full reinstatement of necessary NIOSH staff and the enforcement of protective policies that put workers first.
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