By I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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WEDNESDAY, March 12, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A group of former U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) employees is fighting to get their jobs back after being abruptly laid off last month.<\/p>\n
In a letter sent Monday to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/a> and CDC leadership, they argue their dismissals were unfair and violated due process.<\/p>\n Now, with a looming deadline that could officially end their employment status, they\u2019re pushing for immediate action.<\/p>\n The employees, all in their probationary period at the CDC, make up about 14% of the staff cut on Valentine\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n They worked in divisions focused on cancer prevention, infectious disease readiness, overdose prevention and global health, among other areas.<\/p>\n If not reinstated, many will officially lose their paid administrative leave and be fired on Friday, four weeks after receiving their termination notices.<\/p>\n \u201cWe maintain that the manner in which we were terminated did not follow due process requirements and should be found as not lawful. We respectfully request that [HHS] continue to follow through on its high standards for accountability and commitment to transparency and lawful professional conduct,\u201d the letter said, according to the health news service STAT.<\/em><\/p>\n The push for reinstatement follows a shift in government guidance, too.<\/p>\n Last week, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) updated its rules, stating that agencies have \u201cultimate decision-making authority over, and responsibility for,\u201d personnel matters, STAT <\/em>reported.<\/p>\n However, OPM hasn’t overturned the layoffs.<\/p>\n The American Federation of Government Employees has since urged agencies to rehire affected workers, a point emphasized in the letter to Kennedy.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the past two years, CDC determined that each of our positions was important to the agency\u2019s mission and identified us as the most qualified individuals through its rigorous hiring process,\u201d the letter said. \u201cAll of us have demonstrated our dedication to CDC\u2019s public health mission and commitment to serving the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n While some agencies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the CDC, have rehired a portion of the terminated workers, many are still without jobs and face an increasingly competitive job market in health and science.<\/p>\n More information<\/strong><\/p>\n Read more updates at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services<\/a>.<\/p>\n