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Public Employee Press
Benefits extended to dead members
family
Assistant Highway Repairer Nicky Antico went to work Sept.
22 a healthy young man, a proud husband and father, a wage earner for
his family.
At 2 a.m. that night, a vehicle crashed through his worksite on Slosson
Avenue in Staten Island and ended his life, his dreams, his paycheck and
his medical benefits.
But the speeding SUV, which also injured two other Dept. of Transportation
employees, Louis Ciccotto and Michael Moschella, didnt end the commitment
of his union brothers and sisters to Nickys family.
They observed silently Oct. 27 as the City Council passed legislation
to ensure that Mr. Anticos family his widow, Anna, and daughter
Arianna, 8 will continue to receive city health insurance coverage.
City Council Member Joseph P. Addabbo Jr., who chairs the Civil Service
and Labor Committee, introduced the measure at the request of Mayor Michael
R. Bloomberg.
Antico was a Local 983 member until DOT Commissioner Iris Weinshall promoted
him to the Highway Repairer title, which is represented by Local 376,
effective Sept. 22.
This legislation is very important to the family and the union,
said Local 376 President Gene De Martino. It was the right thing
to do.
The Council was able to accomplish this by amending the administrative
code, explained Local 376 Treasurer Thomas Kattou.
It was wonderful that Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council recognized
a civilian city worker this way, said Local 983 President Mark Rosenthal.
It honors Nicky Anticos memory by providing health benefits
for his family, he said.
Together with Supervisors Local 1157, Traffic Employees Local 1455 and
the DC 37 Safety Dept., the two locals pressed Commissioner Weinshall
for job safety improvements at an Oct. 6 meeting. We need these
because we want to live, said Kattou.
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