Job cuts reversed at Pittsburgh lab that certifies nation’s respirators

The Pittsburgh-area lab responsible for certifying virtually all U.S. government-approved respirators in the country was preparing to shutter for good in June. The Capital-Star reported last month that employees had been told their positions were being eliminated as part of sweeping cuts to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The lab is responsible for certifying and auditing just about every N95, as well as masks worn by doctors, firefighters, welders, coal miners, and other professionals.

But those plans changed Tuesday afternoon. Officials with the local chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees union say many, if not all, employees remaining at the Bruceton facility, many of whom were on administrative leave, received an email telling them their jobs were safe — at least for the moment. 

“You previously received a notice regarding the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) upcoming reduction in force,” read an email sent to lab employees by Thomas Nagy, the agency’s acting chief human capital officer, and shared with the Capital-Star. “That notice is hereby revoked. You will not be affected by the upcoming RIF.”

The employee who shared the email did so under the condition of anonymity, for fear of retaliation.

But a union official told the Capital-Star between recent buyouts, layoffs and early retirements, it’s been difficult to say with certainty how many employees remain. And with so many on administrative leave, it’s been hard to confirm if anyone did not receive the notification Tuesday.

“We’re still trying to figure out what it all means and who it all covers,” said Suzanne Alison, a steward at the local American Federation of Government Employees chapter that represents Allegheny County’s NIOSH employees. “We’re crowdsourcing a little bit among ourselves.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to detailed questions about the decision to reverse the planned cuts, but said that, “The Trump Administration remains committed to supporting coal miners, who play a vital role in America’s energy sector. Under Secretary [Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]’s leadership, NIOSH’s Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program will continue to meet the needs of our nation’s miners.”

Workers at the National Personal Protective Technology Lab learned their jobs were no longer being cut on the same day a U.S. District Court judge in West Virginia granted an injunction ordering employees of NIOSH’s mine safety and respiratory health divisions return to work following previous cuts. That was in response to a class action case led by West Virginia coal miner, Harry Wiley.

It’s unclear if there was any connection between the ruling and the reversal of cuts to the respirator certification lab. Alison said the ruling likely only affected employees at NIOSH’s Morgantown division, who also faced steep cuts earlier this year.

West Virginia Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito said Tuesday on the social media platform X that over 100 employees would be returning to work at the Morgantown facility.

However, employees at NIOSH’s Pittsburgh-area Mining Research Division, which studies best practices  for avoiding workplace injuries and deaths, do not appear to have received the same notices as those at the respirator certification lab, Alison said.

Kennedy is scheduled to testify Wednesday before both the U.S. House Appropriations committee and the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee to discuss his agency’s proposed budget, which includes drastic staff cuts.

There are two Pennsylvania representatives on the House Appropriations panel, Republican Guy Reschenthaler and Democrat Madeleine Dean.