Unions Mobilize To Ensure 9/11 Workers' Care; Rally to Launch Bid To Get Congress To Cover Cost

Unions Mobilize To Ensure 9/11 Workers' Care; Rally to Launch Bid To Get Congress To Cover Cost


A rally to demand long-term health care for ill 9/11 workers will take the place of the city's traditional Labor Day Parade this year.

DENIS HUGHES: 'Time for permanent solution.' Organizers of the Sept. 8 protest, which will be held just three days before the six-year anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center, are seeking to put pressure on Congress to pass comprehensive health-care legislation. They want ongoing treatment and medical monitoring for all workers made ill by their exposure to the toxic air at Ground Zero in the aftermath of Sept. 11.

Rally flyers state: "The Time Is Now to Support Our 9/11 Heroes, Six Years Is Long Enough."

'Do Right By Them'

"This is a call to do right by the people who put a major effort into responding to and cleaning up after the attacks," said Ed Ott, the executive director of the New York City AFL-CIO Central Labor Council, which is co-sponsoring the event with the State AFL-CIO and the Building and Construction Trades Council.

Firefighters and other first-responders currently have access to medical monitoring and health treatment through a Federal program, but the funding constantly runs out and needs to be lobbied for and re-appropriated. Residents and people who worked in the area have been eligible since last fall for a treatment program funded by the city, but there is no monitoring, and advocates say that funding will also run out in future years, even as the number and severity of illnesses are expected to rise.

"Most of the solutions have been temporary and piecemeal," said Denis M. Hughes, president of the State AFL-CIO. "It's about time to work out a permanent solution to allow all people to get the treatment they need."

Union officials are hoping the rally will push Congress to craft legislation this fall. There are currently two bills in the House that address the issue, but officials say they are not adequate and that the Senate needs to draft a comprehensive bill as well. "We're saying, let's just make a long-term commitment to provide what's needed, when it's needed," said Lee Clarke, the director of health and safety at District Council 37. The union currently has 5,000 members in a monitoring program, and officials expect the number of civilian workers involved to grow.

Advocates estimate the cost of comprehensive legislation between $270 and $500 million, depending upon how many people become ill in the outlying years. Many workers affected have seen their symptoms grow more severe with time and have required increased medical attention. Many advocates believe a 20- to 30-year commitment is required.

'Some Lost Benefits'

Advocates say that in addition to a long-term fully-funded program, they are looking for economic compensation for workers who have become sick. They argue that now that post-9/11 health problems have been confirmed, people who were unable to work due to illness should be eligible for assistance.

"Some people lost their benefits, they lost their homes, and they used up all their savings to pay for health care," said Micki Siegel de Hernandez, the director of health and safety for District One of the Communication Workers of America. "In the beginning there were debates about how bad it was. Now, there's no debate."

Union officials say they will publicize the rally and invite elected officials, but that they are not expecting the tens of thousands of members who attend the Labor Day Parade. The parade has been cancelled four times in the past 10 years, but Mr. Ott said that the CLC may opt to hold the parade in future years.

In the aftermath of the CLC's recent re-organization and election of new officers, the expense and the logistical effort the parade requires convinced the CLC executive board to cancel it. "We wanted to do something, and this is a good focus," said Mr. Ott. "In the future we want to make sure whatever we do, that it's of importance to working people."