CWA Fighting for Workers Exposed To Toxic Air at Ground Zero

Just before the sixth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, CWA members and leaders gathered with hundreds of other union activists at Ground Zero in New York to demand government help for workers, rescuers and others affected by the toxic air and other health risks in the aftermath of the 2001 tragedy.

At least 2,200 CWA members, including telecommunications workers, traffic enforcement officers, sanitation crews, news reporters, nurses and volunteers, were among those exposed. Thirteen members of CWA died in the attacks at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

CWA District 1 Vice President Chris Shelton spoke for them and the thousands of others at risk, angered by what he and other advocates for the workers say has been a lethargic response from the federal government.

"George Bush stood on the pile alongside a New York City firefighter and said that the recovery workers would never be forgotten and would always be taken care of. He climbed down from the pile and promptly forgot them," Shelton said. "Christine Todd Whitman, head of the EPA at the time, told the recovery workers that the air was clean, the air was fine and that they could work at the site safely."

Today, public health officials and many in government — from both parties — say that simply wasn't true. The medical problems being reported, and the likelihood that countless more victims are suffering in silence without health insurance, has led to a CWA-supported bill put forth by U.S. House Democrats Carolyn Maloney and Jerrold Nadler and Republican Vita Fossella, all of New York.

"The heroes of 9-11 responded immediately when our country was attacked, but when these same heroes needed help, our government dragged its heels. Thousands are sick, and that is a fact," Maloney said in promoting the "9/11 Health and Compensation Act."

The 9/11 Health and Compensa-tion Act (H.R. 3543) would provide funding to ensure that everyone exposed to toxic dust and debris at Ground Zero can be medically monitored and that everyone who is sick can be treated. The list includes rescuers who came from across the country, lower Manhattan residents, students and workers, including the CWA members at Verizon who restored the battered area's communications network and brought Wall Street back to life within a week, Reuters reporters who worked across the street and NABET-CWA broadcasters.

"Previously all funding for monitoring and treatment has been emergency funding," said Micki Siegel de Hernandez, health and safety director for CWA District 1 and a labor representative on a variety of committees dealing with the health effects of September 11. "It's come piecemeal; there's no long term plan. This bill would establish a long-term program."

The pending bill would provide further compensation for Ground Zero workers with long-term health problems by reopening the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. Siegel de Hernandez said she knows of several CWA members with severe Ground Zero-related breathing problems who are no longer able to work.

Although there is continuing debate among medical professionals, some doctors link at least three deaths so far to the toxic air at Ground Zero. And Siegel de Hernandez said there are growing concerns about long-term diseases that may take years to present, particularly cancers of the blood and lymphomas.

The bill would require the federal government to collect and analyze data about Ground Zero-related illnesses and those affected. Doctors and clinics set up to assess and help those at risk have kept data and commissioned studies, but there is no central database or permanently funded resource.