Ode to an EMT

In an instant,
A flash, a moment,
A split second
Change became present.

Who flipped the script?

We are Emergency Medical Technicians.
We are the help you call for.
We bandage, splint, carry;
We drive, compress and
We listen.
We take over where you leave off.

But, what happens when the script is flipped?

When we’re treating a car accident victim
After we’ve secured the scene,
Thinking we’re in a safe space,
There lies my partner on the street
After being flipped by a speeding car.
Think!
Call for help! Oh! I’m the help!
I’m the help! No time for tears.

I would like to dedicate these few lines in honor of my partner at EMS, James O’ Garro, who was struck by a car while on duty today at the scene of an accident on Classon Avenue and Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn.

He suffered severe head trauma and is in intensive care at Kings County Hospital. He is my hero. Everyone who knows him would agree he’s a caring person.

—MARIE LOLAGNEGETERS, EMT-D
FDNY Batt. 31, Local 2507

Anesthesia safety

Medicare should not be allowed to remove the doctor-supervision requirements for the safety of patients who need anesthesia in the hospital during surgery. Only qualified doctors should be administering anesthesia. I ask that you publicize and support the Anesthesia Safety Act (S.332/H.R. 716). Recently, I had eye surgery and I feel very strongly that if anesthesia is needed only a qualified doctor should perform the procedure.

—JACQUELINE C. LOUIE
Retiree, Staten Island

R.I.P. — Will they take it away?

I am a Clerical Associate with the Board of Education. I have been working there for 17 years. I would like to understand more about the Recurring Increment Payment that is putting $67 more in my paycheck since last year.

I thought this was some kind of longevity, but someone has told me it is money that is owed to us and that we will be getting so much over the course of a few years and then it will stop.

I thought it was something we would always have in our paychecks. Could you please explain to me exactly what we are being paid this money for and for how long? Thank you.

—EMMA MANGUS
Local 1251

Evelyn Seinfeld, associate director of the DC 37 Research and Negotiations Dept., replies:

Yes, this is a kind of longevity payment that certain bargaining units, including yours, have negotiated.

It will stay in your pay as long as you are a Clerical Associate. The RIP is a specified amount of money paid to eligible employees based on their length of service.

Once an employee has qualified for a RIP, and is receiving it, the RIP becomes part of the base pay rate and is included in calculating all salary-based payments. These amounts are adjusted automatically by collective bargaining increases.

Likes PEP style

I appreciate PEP’s use of Mr., Ms. and Mrs., as signs of respect. You say “especially for union members, who often receive less respect than they deserve.”

Without denying that, I add that most citizens often receive less respect than they deserve, at least by the press, radio and TV. If you are the President, or even a felon, you are referred to as “Mr.” Otherwise any law-abiding man is Smith, Brown or Jones.

Women are in a worse position. No woman is ever referred to “Mrs.” unless she is the president’s wife. Publications will acknowledge that a woman is married to a man, but they perform verbal contortions to avoid calling her “Mrs.”

It’s silly, but it’s also annoying. Hurray for PEP’s stylebook!

—H. DUNCAN
Retiree

Union movement is still strong

The following letter was received by the DC 37 Jewish Heritage Committee:

I am writing to tell you how much my wife and I enjoyed your Jewish Heritage dinner on May 31.

Thanks, of course, for making Mazon, “the Jewish response to hunger,” a part of the evening.

Your check is much appreciated and will be used to help feed people in need, regardless of their religion.

The entire evening at DC 37 was a most enjoyable learning experience.

The depth and breadth of your union activities was eye opening, and I came away feeling that the union movement in this country is in much better shape than I had thought. That’s comforting.