CWA Remembers Our Heroes on the Tenth Anniversary of September 11

A new CWA video remembers the CWA heroes of September 11, 2001, those who perished in the terrorist attacks and those who stood up and stood together to get America working again.

Ten years later, we remember those CWA, NABET-CWA and AFA-CWA members who lost their lives, on the job at the Pentagon, at the Port Authority in New York, on top of the twin towers manning TV transmitters and in the skies.

We also take pride in remembering that ordinary people, including thousands of CWA members, stood together and became real heroes.

CWA operators took calls from workers in the twin towers and passengers on the doomed planes and relayed those messages to loved ones. CWA nurses and other volunteers cared for injured victims of the attacks in hospitals and makeshift centers. CWA Verizon and other telecom members worked around the clock to get New York and Wall Street connected again to the world, and in just one week, built a telecommunications system from the ground up for 3,000 Pentagon workers relocated after the attack.

Today, many of those heroes are suffering serious health problems from that work, especially workers at Ground Zero in New York.

Joe Hanley, featured in a New York Times ad, is one of those heroes. A Verizon worker and member of CWA Local 1102, Joe has needed multiple surgeries and ongoing radiation treatment for his illness. About 800 Verizon workers are being monitored for aftereffects from exposure to Ground Zero, with hundreds suffering from serious respiratory and other illnesses.

Verizon, in current contract negotiations, is looking to eliminate sick days for workers hurt on the job and force workers to pay thousands per year in health care costs. Our message to Verizon: heroes like Joe and thousands of others deserve better.