The CDC layoffs are back in the news, and this time, the gloves are coming off. Around 600 CDC terminations are likely to be confirmed after a recent court decision provided layoff protections for some employees but not for the entire cohort. The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents and protects over 2,000 CDC employees, updated AP News regarding the change.
While members are aware of the CDC staff cuts, many affected by the layoffs have not received their notices after they were sent out this week. The federation stated that “due to a staggering lack of transparency from HHS,” there is still uncertainty regarding who will be affected by the department’s plans to streamline the forces for efficiency.
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The CDC Is Looking at 600 Employee Terminations Across Departments
The federal government began sweeping cuts to its forces earlier this year, when a reported 10,000 workers across U.S. health agencies were expected to be cut in April. While a large number of the federal cuts have already taken place, terminations in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were interrupted by a federal judge that protected employees from several CDC departments such as those that oversaw STD transmissions, birth defects, reproductive health, workplace safety, and other similar areas of functioning.
Many workers were placed on administrative leave ever since, left unsure of the future of their employment status. The ruling only protected some of the CDC staffers from reorganization layoffs, which left room for cuts to be finalized in the other departments. The Department of Health and Human Services has executed a large number of cuts already, but it has not confirmed which CDC employees are to be conclusively affected. AFGE union officials are aware that at least 600 employees will receive the final layoff notices shortly.
Around a 100 of these cuts are expected in the agency’s violence prevention unit. These layoffs are particularly noteworthy following the recent incident of gun violence against the CDC campus. With the department that works to prevent such incidents shrinking, many fear that it could give rise to more issues across the US.
Federal Cuts In the US Leave Many Workers on the Hunt for Employment
The CDC workforce reduction plans are a part of a much larger push to downsize the federal government and cut costs that will allow other initiatives to be prioritized. The administration and DOGE’s cuts this year are expected to amount to one of the biggest collective job cuts in the history of the country and it brings up many questions regarding the ability of these departments to perform to their full capabilities. While over 75,000 workers accepted buyout offers with the promise of pay until September, a large number of the cuts were conducted against employees who were reluctant to leave their roles.
Earlier this year, Indeed reported that it had witnessed an influx of federal employees seeing employment following the cuts, and amidst the larger landscape of layoffs finding work has proven to be harder than ever. As for the CDC’s permanent termination, once the notices are received by employees, there should be greater clarity on which departments are to be affected by the cuts and to what capacity.
The lack of clarifications from the HHS has been frustrating for many, and it serves as a good reminder that active communication and additional support can go a long way when it comes to conducting layoffs the right way.
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