Cecil Roberts, president of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), recently made headlines after revealing he spoke directly with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to oppose drastic job cuts at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a federal agency vital to coal miner safety and public health research.
Roberts, a longtime advocate for miners’ health, made the remarks during a fiery speech at a pro-NIOSH rally in Washington, D.C., where dozens of supporters gathered to protest the reductions. The union leader emphasized his message to Kennedy: dismantling NIOSH’s functions would leave workers vulnerable and weaken protections developed over decades.
‘Every Family Has One’
Roberts opened his remarks with a nod to the Kennedy family’s traditional support for miners.
“The entire Kennedy family had a love for coal miners and a deep respect for coal miners,” he said. “But they say every family has somebody who doesn’t follow the trend, right?”
He explained that his call with Secretary Kennedy, while somewhat accidental, was an opportunity to deliver a personal message. However, he admitted afterward, “I got a message across to him, but I don’t know if he tried to do anything with it or not.”
Background on the NIOSH Cuts
In March, Kennedy announced a sweeping restructuring of the Department of Health and Human Services, consolidating several agencies under a new umbrella called the Administration for a Healthy America. The changes were pitched as part of a larger “efficiency” effort, but they triggered immediate backlash due to the resulting job losses—particularly at NIOSH’s Morgantown, West Virginia facility.
NIOSH plays a crucial role in conducting research on respiratory illnesses in coal miners, black lung screenings, and broader occupational health protections. Critics, including lawmakers and labor leaders, called the cuts reckless and shortsighted.
Kennedy framed the move as a cleanup of bureaucratic inefficiency: “This overhaul will be a win-win for taxpayers and for those that HHS serves,” he said at the time.
Capito Sparks the Call
Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) has been one of the strongest voices opposing the cuts. She said she was on a call with Kennedy shortly after the announcement and suggested that he speak directly with someone from the mining community. That’s when she contacted Roberts.
“I said, ‘Will you call him and frame this for him from our coal miners’ lens?’ Because nobody can do it better than Cecil can,” Capito said in a press briefing.
Roberts tried reaching Kennedy twice. On the second attempt, the secretary picked up.
Roberts recalled telling him, “What’s happening here is wrong.” When Kennedy responded that “they” were supposedly taking care of it elsewhere, Roberts pushed back: “Who’s ‘they’? I don’t know who ‘they’ is.” Kennedy had no clear answer, Roberts said, and ended the conversation shortly after.
Some Jobs Restored, But Not All
Following weeks of public pressure, Kennedy announced the reinstatement of 110 positions at NIOSH, including key roles in the Respiratory Health Division and the Division of Safety Research. However, more than 100 additional jobs remain unfilled.
During a recent Senate budget hearing, Capito pressed Kennedy again.
“While your action last week was a good first step, there are other divisions within NIOSH with specialized staff who conduct essential, unique work,” she told him. “I support the president’s vision to right-size our government, but I do not think eliminating NIOSH programs will accomplish that goal.”
Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), her Democratic colleague on the committee, echoed the criticism.
“You fired everyone—and now you want to take credit for hiring them back? That’s not how this works,” Baldwin said. “Congress provided over $360 million on a bipartisan basis for NIOSH.”
Union Solidarity and Ongoing Advocacy
Speaking in front of the Hubert H. Humphrey Federal Building, Roberts credited Capito for her willingness to challenge the administration.
“She’s been public about this—that laying off all these people is wrong, that they ought to be brought back and that they perform a vital function for the coal miners of our state,” he said. “I think she’s worked hard on this.”
Roberts also criticized former President Donald Trump’s tendency to threaten primary challenges against dissenting Republicans, noting that Capito had not bowed to such pressure.
Joined by other UMWA members, steelworkers, and federal employees, Roberts emphasized that the labor movement’s strength lies in unity.
“That’s what being in a union is all about. It’s not just your union—it’s everybody’s fight, and you join with everybody to give a greater leverage,” he said.
But for Roberts and his members, this particular fight is also deeply personal.
“We’ve got a stake on this,” he said. “And the stake is whether coal miners will be able to come to work every day and not be sick.”
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