Public Employee Press

9/11 Labor rally
Mourning the dead and fighting for the living

By JANE LaTOUR

Standing in the shadow of the re-built 7 World Trade Center, hundreds of unionists rallied Sept. 8 in memory of the 9/11 dead and on behalf of the living.

On that hot, sunny Saturday, next to the 16-acre construction site where the Twin Towers once stood, a two-hour procession of workers and labor leaders stepped up to the podium. They cast a harsh light on the treatment of the rescue and recovery workers since the attack six years ago. Politicians lent their voices to the ongoing campaign to win compensation, medical monitoring, and health care for those who are sick as a result of their selfless service.

This year, in lieu of a Labor Day parade, the New York City Central Labor Council, the Building Trades Council, and the New York StateAFL-CIO used the 9/11 anniversary to call for the critical attention that must be paid to the living — those who are sick and in need of care.

DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts addressed the assembled union members and spoke about the mounting toll of injured, ill and dying workers: “I am so proud of the many dedicated DC 37 members who worked at Ground Zero for weeks and months as part of the valiant rescue and recovery effort. Sadly, many now suffer the effects of being exposed to toxins in the air. We now must fear that this could be the beginning of the worst catastrophe of environmental poisoning in our city’s history.”

Heroes at risk
Roberts introduced Emergency Medical Technician Yvonne Sanchez, a member of Local 2507: “Yvonne helped recover bodies at Ground Zero. She suffered serious injuries as a result that caused her abrupt retirement in 2002. But she has not stopped fighting for the life and health of other workers.”

As Sanchez described the 11 months she spent at Ground Zero, she kept her emotions under control and her voice steady. “It was a painful and difficult task,” she said. “I was severely injured and have endured 11 surgeries as a result. Fortunately, the Fire Department and our local president, Pat Bahnken, as well as our parent union, DC 37, and Executive Director Lillian Roberts, have been there for me. They gave me the support and assistance that I have needed.”

Unfortunately, many of those who gave so unselfishly of their service on 9/11 later ended up giving their lives, including DC 37 members Tim Keller, Felix Hernandez and Deborah Reeve of the Emergency Medical Service and Radio Repair Mechanic Glenford Pennington. Strangely, as the list of the fallen grows longer, too many who were once publicly labeled as “heroes” have been left to fend for themselves in their hour of need.

Numbers tell the story: A task force appointed by Mayor Bloomberg estimates that as many as 400,000 people may have been exposed to the poisonous dust cloud of 9/11.

At the Sept. 8 rally, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton and several members of New York’s congressional delegation, including Jerrold Nadler, Carolyn B. Maloney, and Vito Fossella, announced that they would fight to pass a new bill.

The 9/11 Health and Compensation Act would provide regular appropriations for comprehensive medical coverage and financial compensation for anyone exposed to Ground Zero dust, including first responders and other rescue workers, construction workers, area city employees, volunteers and residents.

Meanwhile, the sick are forced to fight their way through a fragmented, inadequate health care system to get help.