Unions Rally for Bill to Aid Those Sickened at Ground Zero

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

Activists at the Sept. 8 rally, who also included religious, political and community leaders, called for passage of the bipartisan "9/11 Health and Compensation Act" introduced this week 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.

Remembering 13 members of the CWA family who died on September 11, District 1 Vice President Chris Shelton told activists that the government betrayed the heroes who worked on and near the toxic rubble for months.

"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."

Shelton introduced Local 1101 Steward Liam McLoughlin, a Verizon worker who has suffered a multitude of health problems after repairing phone lines at Ground Zero. "I consider myself one of the lucky ones," McLoughlin said. "Even though I have had some problems, there are so many other people who are much sicker than I am, and some who have died."

The 9/11 Health and Compensation Act 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 CWA members at Verizon who restored the battered area's communications network, CWA-represented city traffic enforcement officers, and nurses who traveled to the scene to help out.

"Previously all funding for monitoring and treatment has been emergency funding," said Micki Siegel de Hernandez, health and safety director for CWA District 1. "It's come piecemeal; there's no long term plan. This bill would establish a long-term program."

The bill would provide further compensation for Ground Zero workers with long-term respiratory diseases and other illnesses and disabilities by reopening the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. Siegel de Hernandez said she has spoken to several CWA members with severe Ground Zero-related breathing problems who are no longer able to work. 

The bill would also 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.

In addition to federal help, New York state has changed its workers compensation law with regard to World Trade Center-related illnesses. Workers now have until Aug. 14, 2008, to file a registration form that protects their right to file a claim.

Whether or not workers currently show signs of illness, anyone who worked at or near Ground Zero is urged to file a WTC-12 form in order to be able to file a claim later, if necessary.

More information is available on websites for the New York Workers' Compensation Board and the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health. The addresses are www.web.state.ny.us and www.nycosh.org.