Public Employee Press

2001-2011
Remembering 9/11
Ten Years after

DC 37 members will always remember 9/11 as a day of tragedy and heroism.

Three members lost their lives while working at Ground Zero after terrorists crashed two jetliners into the Twin Towers, killing nearly 3,000 people. A fourth member with a second job at the World Trade Center also perished.

DC 37 members put their lives on the line to help in the search and rescue effort at Ground Zero and the subsequent cleanup. At least eight members have succumbed to illnesses caused by their exposure to the toxic cocktail of dust and smoke at the disaster site.

On that dark day, union workers at the New York Police Dept. took the desperate phone calls of people trapped in the towers. Hundreds of EMS workers raced to Ground Zero.

DC 37 members worked in the rubble in search of survivors. In emergency centers, nurses and social workers helped traumatized and injured people.

Union members have also played a key role in the recovery and rebuilding, which continues 10 years after the tragedy occurred.

For months, city engineers and other technical workers remained at Ground Zero to oversee the cleanup headed by the Dept. of Design and Construction. The union successfully fought off the Bechtel Corp.'s attempt to profit from the attack by taking over that work.

Workers at the Office of Chief Medical Examiner have helped identify many of the victims, providing closure for their families. Engineers ran the project to reopen destroyed downtown subway tunnels and stations. DDC workers expect to work an additional five years to upgrade the downtown infrastructure.

"The 911 experience is a testament to the dedication of public employees," DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts said. "Our members put their hearts into their work on that tragic day, and they continue to play an important role in revitalizing downtown Manhattan."