NEW YORK (AP) – Over 460 employees recently laid off from the nation’s leading public health agency were informed on Wednesday that the union representing these workers has been reinstated.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed that notifications of reinstatement have been sent to former employees of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), although specific details remain limited.
Approximately 2,400 CDC employees lost their positions in early April due to significant cuts across federal health agencies, impacting various programs.
The entire CDC program was effectively halted, affecting initiatives related to smoking cessation, lead poisoning, gun violence, asthma, and air quality. This included essential workplace safety and health efforts. The office was also closed to process Freedom of Information Act requests. Programs targeting infectious diseases, including those addressing outbreaks abroad, labs focused on HIV and hepatitis in the U.S., and efforts to eliminate tuberculosis, also faced cuts.
HHS officials confirmed that some staff members are now located at the CDC’s National HIV Center, dedicated to preventing HIV, viral hepatitis, STDs, and tuberculosis, with around 200 personnel involved. An employee from the CDC Lab, which conducts testing for STDs, was unable to comment on the situation, citing anonymity for privacy.
The reinstatement will also include an estimated 150 employees from the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health, focusing on lead poisoning, as reported by the union and employees.
However, the layoffs at federal agencies have faced legal challenges, with judges sometimes ordering the reinstatement of employees.
HHS officials have not provided specifics on how the layoff decisions were made originally, nor have they answered inquiries regarding the reasons behind the recent notifications or the criteria for employee selection.
HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon stated that the agency is optimizing its operations, ensuring that “the country’s critical public health functions remain effective and operational.”
“The Trump administration is committed to safeguarding essential services, from supporting coal miners and firefighters through NIOSH to protecting public health through lead prevention and addressing prevalent epidemics,” he added.
Nevertheless, members of the affected workforce have indicated that the reinstatement cannot reverse the harm done by Kennedy and the Trump administration to federal public health. Affected CDC workers organized a rally in Atlanta, with the latest event occurring on Tuesday.
“Restoring hundreds only to terminate thousands is a step forward, but the CDC continues to face numerous program cuts.”
This situation is not unprecedented; employees of the Atlanta-based agency have been notified of terminations only to receive reinstatement notices later. After a previous layoff notice in February, around 180 CDC employees were reinstated in March.
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Source: apnews.com