FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Las Vegas – National Education Association President Becky Pringle, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, American Federation of Teachers New Mexico President Whitney Holland, National Education Association-New Mexico President Mary Parr-Sanchez, and New Mexico Highlands University Faculty and Staff Association (NMHUFASA) Co-President Dr. Kathy Jenkins released the following statements:

“We are deeply disappointed in the cancellation of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s Health Hazard Evaluation Program. We know workplace safety is a critical component of a healthy workforce, and programs like these can mean the difference between life and death – especially given the ongoing issues at New Mexico Highlands University and workplace safety in the Ivan Hilton Science Building,” said Pringle.

“The Health Hazard Evaluation Program was a north star to ensure workers are protected on the job, both at New Mexico Highlands University, and around the country. The program was dedicated to saving workers lives, and it is now cancelled by Elon Musk and his DOGE chainsaw. Its demise is a devastating blow to a campus community that is still mourning the loss of a co-worker and was counting on the completion of HHEP’s critical evaluations and safety assessments. The HHEP facilitates real collaboration between employers and workers on proactive solutions to safety and health issues. This week, that vital support vanished, not because of ‘efficiency’, but because of mindless and arbitrary cost cutting. This is Exhibit A of the human cost of DOGE’s actions,” said Weingarten.

“While the immediate crisis has passed, the services offered by the Health Hazard Evaluation Program were a critical piece of the much-needed aftercare for the Highland’s community. Medical evaluations, industrial hygiene exposure assessments, and behavioral health supports are still needed by members of the wider Highlands faculty and staff. This truly is a regional issue for Northern New Mexico, and the federal government’s abrupt cancellation of these critical supports jeopardizes our communities’ wellbeing in both the short- and long-term,” said Holland.

“Federal cuts have consequences, and in this case, withdrawal of federal health and safety supports only re-victimizes every member of the Highlands community who has been impacted by the ongoing safety issues in the Ivan Hilton Science Building. These highly specialized services are not regionally available for our members in Las Vegas and surrounding counties and access to aftercare and ongoing on-campus monitoring was to be a critical component of our shared path forward,” said Parr-Sanchez.

“This is a deep setback to the ongoing collaborative work between our union and the administration of the University. Our goals of mitigation of on-campus safety hazards and implementing pro-active solutions to prevent reoccurrences of unsafe conditions were greatly helped by engaging the very federal programs which have been ended due to federal-level cuts to personnel and budgets. At the end of the day, our University community is on the losing end of these thoughtless cuts,” said Jenkins.

The New Mexico Highlands Faculty and Staff Association is a joint-affiliate of the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, maintaining membership in both the AFT New Mexico and NEA-NM. Members and leaders of the local union have been at the forefront of campus safety issues since improperly stored chemicals and other hazardous materials were discovered in the Ivan Hilton Science Building in September of 2024.