Due to Elon Musk and his unaccountable DOGE, we are facing one of the largest mass firings of federal workers in history, including highly technical federal workers who keep us safe on the job.

More than a thousand workers in six states and Washington, D.C., have lost their jobs at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the federal job safety research agency. By gutting this key organization, America’s workers will lose critical safety protections and more workers will get hurt. Every single NIOSH research center is being closed and the few staff remaining no longer have the resources to do their jobs.

Please call your member of Congress and demand they stand up for this critical health and safety agency and its workers against DOGE and the Trump administration.

Our message is simple: Stop the cuts to NIOSH and reinstate their workers. But here are some other details that may help during your call:

Congress created NIOSH (pronounced nigh-osh) on a broad bipartisan basis.

NIOSH is the only federal government agency that conducts research on worker safety and health, and gathers and analyzes the information to keep workers safe.

NIOSH’s research and recommendations are relied on by workers and employers throughout the world.

NIOSH conducted the key research for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Mine Safety and Health Administration regulations on asbestos, cotton dust, lead, bloodborne pathogens, silica and black lung, which have saved hundreds of thousands of workers’ lives.

NIOSH also researches worker exposures to heat and wildfire smoke, workplace violence, back injuries and other chronic diseases, and state-of-the-art technologies that keep workers safe in mines.  

NIOSH is responsible for approving all respirators, and combats fraud from imported counterfeit products, that keep America’s workers safe and protect U.S. manufacturing.

NIOSH also oversees the World Trade Center Health Program to provide 9/11 responders and survivors medical monitoring and treatment, and a program to compensate energy workers exposed to deadly hazards from manufacturing, testing, and cleaning up nuclear weapons.

Right now each year, more than 5,000 workers die from job injuries and 135,000 workers die from chronic occupational diseases. Millions more workers are injured.

Ten percent of the recently announced Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) staff cuts come from NIOSH, even though that makes up a tiny part of the overall HHS budget.

NIOSH centers being closed are in Pittsburgh; Morgantown, W.Va.; Cincinnati; Spokane, Wash.; Denver; Atlanta; and Washington, D.C.

Link for more information: https://act.aflcio.org/call_campaigns/call-reverse-gutting-of-core-worker-safety-agency-niosh/

On May 1st, we join workers around the world in recognizing May Day, also known as International Workers' Day, a day deeply rooted in the history and ongoing struggles of the labor movement.

May Day commemorates the 1886 Haymarket Affair in Chicago, where workers rallied for the eight-hour workday and paid a heavy price for demanding fair treatment. Their courage sparked a global movement that continues to shape labor rights today.

For OPEIU Local 174, May Day is more than a historical moment, it's a reflection of our ongoing work to support, protect, and empower administrative professionals across the entertainment and music industry. Our members keep the wheels turning behind the scenes—managing operations, supporting creative teams, and ensuring the industry runs smoothly. Your voices matter, and your labor deserves recognition and respect.

This day reminds us why we organize, why we negotiate, and why we stand together, and it’s a time to honor those who came before us and to recommit ourselves to building a fairer, safer, and more just workplace for everyone.

May Day is union history, and union future.

In solidarity,
OPEIU Local 174

At its core, May Day is about solidarity. Workers around the globe are taking action this International Workers’ Day to stand up to the billionaires who are threatening our rights and freedoms. Join us: ​​https://www.mobilize.us/aflcio/?q=May%20Day 

Background info: On March 31, 2025, the Trump administration conceded in a court filing that it had mistakenly deported Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a legally protected Maryland resident and father, to El Salvador “because of an administrative error." The administration is also arguing that because Abrego Garcia is now in Salvadoran custody, the government cannot return him to the United States. The Supreme Court has since unanimously backed a federal judge's order to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return to the U.S.

Link to Letter here: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/bring-our-local-100-brother-home-and-give-him-due-process

Kilmar is a SMART Local 100 first-year apprentice who currently works full-time to support his young family. He came to the United States as a teenager 15 years ago, and according to his attorneys, he was legally authorized to live and work in this country and had fully complied with his responsibilities under the law. He did not have a criminal record in the United States.

SMART is demanding that he is returned to his family so he can receive the due process that is his right. Please take a few minutes to ask your congressional representatives to do the same!

Dear Members,

I'm proud to share that the vote to amend our Constitution and Bylaws has officially passed!

These important updates reflect the evolving needs and values of our union. Together, we’ve approved some bigger changes that include:

• More gender-inclusive language throughout our governing documents

• A rotating schedule of in-person and virtual meetings for greater accessibility

• Approval to review and implement a more equitable dues structure

• And more!

This milestone was made possible by you, our members who showed up to vote in person on April 16, 2025 and those across the country who submitted their mail-in ballots. Your engagement is what drives this union forward.

Thank you for your commitment to democracy and solidarity. Together, we’re shaping the future of OPEIU Local 174.

In solidarity,

Lupe Valles

President and Business Manager