By Associated Press’s Mike Stobbe
NEW YORK (AP) Following a recent court ruling that shielded certain CDC staff from layoffs but not others, at least 600 CDC employees are beginning to receive notices of permanent termination.
The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents over 2,000 dues-paying members at CDC, said that many people have not yet received the letters, which were mailed out this week.
A request for comment from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials was not immediately answered.
Officials from AFGE stated that they are aware of at least 600 layoffs.
However, the federation stated in a statement on Wednesday that the union has not gotten official notices of who is being let off because of HHS’s startling lack of transparency.
Related Articles
-
Appeals court allows Trump to end temporary protections for migrants from Central America and Nepal
-
Gabbard slashing intelligence office workforce by 40%, cutting budget by more than $700 million
-
US attorney will no longer bring felony charges against people for carrying rifles or shotguns in DC
-
Obama applauds Newsom s California redistricting plan as responsible as Texas GOP pushes new maps
-
Texas can t put the Ten Commandments in certain school districts classrooms, judge says
About 100 employees who worked in violence prevention are among the permanent layoffs. Less than two weeks have passed since a guy killed a police officer on the CDC campus by firing at least 180 shots, according to several staff members.
The irony is heartbreaking: According to a blog post last week by some of the impacted employees, those whose jobs were removed were the very professionals who were taught to comprehend, stop, and prevent this type of behavior.
As part of a comprehensive reform aimed at drastically reducing the number of government health organizations tasked with safeguarding and advancing the health of Americans, HHS officials delivered layoff notices to thousands of workers at the CDC and other agencies on April 1.
Since then, several have been placed on paid administrative leave, although they are unable to work while the lawsuits are pending.
Last week, a federal judge in Rhode Island issued a preliminary order that protected workers in various CDC departments, including those that deal with sexually transmitted diseases, smoking, reproductive health, environmental health, workplace safety, and birth defects.
Other CDC employees, including those in the freedom of information office, are already facing layoffs as a result of the verdict, which did not safeguard them. Employees were informed that the terminations took effect on Monday.
Projects aimed at preventing underage dating violence, child abuse, and rape were among those impacted. Among the laid-off employees were those who had assisted other nations in monitoring child abuse, an endeavor that sparked an international summit in November when nations discussed establishing targets for reducing violence.
“It will be impossible to replace certain nationally and internationally recognized experts,” stated Tom Simon, the former senior director for scientific initiatives at the CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Science and Educational Media Group of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute provide support to the Associated Press Health and Science Department. All content is entirely the AP’s responsibility.
