March 8, 2025 - Jessica Perkins thought she was safe from being fired because she was no longer considered a probationary employee.

When she transferred from a civilian Department of Defense job at Fairchild Air Force Base to an equivalent administrative position at the Centers for Disease Control’s mining research lab in Spokane last summer, she was told her time at the old job would count toward tenure. Her two-year probation from the first job ended in January.

She was fired along with two experienced researchers on Feb. 14, she said, as part of President Trump and Elon Musks’ mass firings across the federal workforce.

“They are not taking the time to review people’s records, they are just eliminating people,” Perkins said.

Perkins was a program specialist for the Spokane Mining Research Division at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s Spokane Research Laboratory. The little-known lab tucked behind a BMW dealership in the Logan neighborhood studies health and safety for miners. It’s one of two NIOSH mining research facilities – the other is in Pittsburgh.

“We are helping to improve occupational safety and health and well-being of people working in America,” Perkins said.

Her job was to procure supplies for researchers among other administrative and logistical tasks.

Jessica Perkins was fired as part of the DOGE Services layoffs from the Spokane Mining Research Division at the CDC’s NIOSH research laboratory in Spokane.

Photo: COLIN MULVANY/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

“Our positions each specifically focused on preventing mining disasters as well as preventing workplace injuries and illnesses,” she said.

The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a hearing Feb. 6 on the importance of domestic mining for national security. Mining industry experts and executives highlighted the need to ramp up mining production because the U.S. relies on adversarial countries like China for critical minerals.

It doesn’t make sense to cut safety at a time like this, Perkins said.

“If we can’t do the research to mine appropriately and safely, then how are we supposed to bring jobs back to America and make that safe for everybody?”

Perkins moved to Spokane when her husband was stationed at Fairchild in late 2019. Being a military spouse makes it hard to build a career, she said, despite having a master’s degree in communications.

She worked several jobs at Fairchild, starting in child care, then as a unit program coordinator handling administrative work for military personnel related to retirements, travel arrangements and updating public profiles.

When she took the job at the mining lab, she said it was considered a lateral move, meaning the type of work was classified the same way and considered essentially the same. She was never notified of a new probationary period.

According to the Office of Personnel Management website, a new probationary period is not required after a transfer to another federal agency.

A San Francisco federal judge on Feb. 27 ordered the Office of Personnel Management to rescind a directive it sent to federal agencies to fire probationary employees, since, the judge said, OPM has no authority to fire employees at agencies other than its own. The ruling, however, does not reinstate employees who have been dismissed.

About 700 to 750 employees were fired from the CDC last month, according to reporting by the Associated Press, with about 180 of them asked to return to work this week.

Perkins’ termination letter had the subject line: “Notification of Termination During Probationary Period.” It was signed by Jeffery Anoka, acting chief human capital officer for the Department of Health and Human Services.

“Unfortunately, the Agency finds that you are not fit for continued employment because your ability, knowledge and skills do not fit the Agency’s current needs, and your performance has not been adequate to justify further employment at the Agency,” the letter states.

Perkins was placed on administrative leave for one month ending March 14. The letter states she has 30 days to appeal. She said she sent several emails but has received no response.

Her supervisor gave her a positive performance review in January, she said, and she was on track for a major pay raise at the end of her first year in June.

Perkins said she went through a rigorous six-month recruitment process to get the job, then went through another seven months of training on the job. She was hired to relieve part of the workload from another employee, and the division had fought for some time to get the position approved. With her position eliminated, more work will fall back on her former counterpart.

Besides making government purchases and record keeping, she helped plan travel for researchers to present at conferences around the world. She was also working on an exhibit highlighting the facility’s research for the CDC museum in Atlanta.

The Spokane Mining Research Division researches health issues from working in mines, including dust, noise, gases and ergonomics, according to its webpage. The laboratory includes an environmental chamber where temperature and humidity can be varied to simulate mining conditions to study health effects such as heat stress, and an industrial hygiene laboratory for analyzing field samples to understand exposure to respiratory and other health hazards.

The lab also studies machine safety and tests proposed improvements.

Beside lab work, the division conducts field research at mine sites across the western states. About 60 employees work at the division, Perkins said.