National Nurses United

Under the FDA's new Covid vaccine regulatory framework, both vac- cines are licensed for use only in adults aged 65 and older and those aged 12 to 64 years with at least one or more underlying risk factors. This means that it may not be available for healthy adults, including nurses and other health care workers who continue to be on the front lines of the Covid pandemic response. This is an attack on the health and safety of our communities. People and their families across the country will bear the burden of disease and its long-term health impacts, especially with current efforts to systematically and structurally dismantle public health. Another key part of the CDC is the National Institute for Occu- pational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which conducts research and makes recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness. NIOSH's stated mission is "to develop new knowledge in the field of occupational safety and health and to transfer that knowledge into practice." Nurses and other workers rely on NIOSH's expertise to protect them from infectious diseases and other workplace hazards every day. NIOSH inspects and certifies respirators such as N95s and other personal protective equipment that saved lives throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. The "N" in "N95" stands for NIOSH. Despite NIOSH's critical role in protecting workers, on April 1, 90 percent of NIOSH employees were dismissed. As a result of powerful organizing by National Nurses United, the AFL-CIO, and other unions, on May 13, roughly a third of NIOSH staff were reinstated, including workers who conduct the respirator certification program. However, it is challenging for any of the current NIOSH divisions to do their work without the entire staff being fully reinstated. For example, NIOSH's respirator certification program is having a difficult time pro- curing lab supplies and equipment calibration contracts because the CDC's procurement office was laid off. NIOSH's health hazard eval- uation program has been reinstated but it relies on chemists to help process samples to determine what is causing the issue—but the chem- ists are gone, which means samples cannot be analyzed. Additionally, Trump's budget request for fiscal year 2026 pro- poses an 80 percent reduction to NIOSH's budget, including zeroing out the respirator certification program. This would mean the loss of rigorous testing and regulation of respiratory protection equipment and the loss of assurance that a respirator will provide adequate protection from occupational hazards. Dismantling NIOSH puts every worker's life at risk—from health care workers and firefighters to coal miners and factory workers. W hy are such essential, lifesaving programs being targeted for cuts? The goal of the current administration and its billion- aire allies is to expand their profits as much as possible at the expense of working people. Medicaid, a safety-net program, is under attack so that anti-labor, pro-business forces can privatize these essen- tial services. The Veterans Health Administration (VA) is also under attack and facing further privatization (see page 18 "Never Giving Up"). "This current administration wants to weaken and privatize these programs that have helped millions of people stay alive, housed, and cared for," said Kennedy at the "Hands Off!" event in April. "And without these programs, vulnerable seniors, low-income families, people with disabilities, and veterans will suffer." By disrupting, weakening, and ultimately eradicating protec- tions, corporations will not be held accountable for treating workers with respect and providing safe workplaces. Without federal govern- ment agencies investigating complaints and conducting enforcement on wage theft, discrimination, and workplace safety, employers will be emboldened to increase these practices that harm workers and their families—and boost corporate profits. But nurses can and must fight back. Major movements for social change in the 1960s and '70s, led by labor unions, won other impor- tant health protections, including OSHA, NIOSH, EPA, and many others. Organized movements advocating for health protections have a long history of winning lifesaving programs in the United States. These cuts to HHS and the VA are not inevitable. Nurses are leading a coordinated campaign to protect our right to health and to ensure that all workers have safe and just jobs. Nurses are patient advocates and have a moral and legal obligation to object to unsafe practices that endanger their patients. Union nurses have important contractual rights and protections to do so without fear of retaliation for being effective patient advo- cates. Organized, unionized nurses can stand collectively with patients against the systemic forces that would prefer to isolate workers and undermine union power. NNU nurses are leading the charge to protect the right to health, which includes: • Fighting cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, VA, Social Security, and other social supports that patients rely upon to survive. • Fighting for Medicare for All, a single-payer health care system that guarantees access to care for everyone at no cost. • Protecting workers' right to organize and form unions by advo- cating for the Protecting the Right to Organize Act and pushing back on attempts to rip up collective bargaining agreements. • Fighting cuts to public health and preparedness infrastructure, including infectious disease surveillance, research, stockpiles, etc. that will mean the difference between life and death for patients and nurses in the next infectious disease event. • Working to transform the economy from one focused on profits to one focused on caring for our communities. Nurses will continue to fight for Medicaid, Medicare for All, and to fight against all cuts to HHS, including the reinstatement of all NIOSH staff. These standards and protections we have fought and won over decades of work all support every person's right to health. Chuleenan Svetvilas is a communications specialist at National Nurses United. Jane Thomason is lead industrial hygienist at NNU. A P R I L | M AY | J U N E 2 0 2 5 W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G N A T I O N A L N U R S E 23 What you can do As a union nurse, know what your rights are and defend them. Be engaged. Go to actions and member meetings. Change will only happen through collective action. Be aware of the laws and regulations in your state that apply to your health care facility. Hold your employers and elected officials accountable. Know what OSHA standards apply in your workplace and follow them on a daily basis. Know what EPA protections apply in your community. Work with your neighbors and city council to hold them accountable. If you care about your patients and your union rights, this is not the time to be sitting on the sidelines. Be informed and stay involved.

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