January 15, 2026 - The United Mine Workers of America UMWA has welcomed the restoration of critical funding and staffing at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The reversal of these cuts follows months of intense pressure from the UMWA including a federal lawsuit filed by the union and its allies to stop the dismantling of vital miner health and safety programs.

“While we are glad to see these positions restored, we are disappointed these cuts were made in the first place,” said UMWA International President Brian Sanson. “The UMWA will never stop fighting to keep all miners as safe as possible at work and a functioning NIOSH is a key part of that.”

The UMWA joined a coalition of labor and safety groups last year in a suit to stop the shutdown of NIOSH operations. The lawsuit charged that the administration bypassed Congress to eliminate the critical programs designed to protect workers from occupational hazards.

“The divisions in Spokane and Pittsburgh provide critical mine safety research, especially when it comes to respirable dust and the development of the Silica Field Analysis sampling device,” said International Secretary-Treasurer Michael Phillippi. “By freezing these programs, the government forced a pause on the enforcement of the new silica dust rule. Within the mining industry today, we are seeing younger workers in their thirties being diagnosed with advanced black lung because they are cutting more rock than ever before. Every day those labs were empty was a day miners were left unprotected.”