Continues Benefits After On-Job Deaths
Mayor Signs Sanit, CO Bill

By REUVEN BLAU

Mayor Bloomberg May 1 signed into law a bill to automatically provide continuing health insurance benefits to families of all city Correction Officers and Sanitation Workers killed on the job.

The Chief-Leader/Pat Arnow 'HELPING FAMILIES': Mayor Bloomberg May 1 signed legislation to automatically provide health benefits to family members of Correction and Sanitation employees who die in the line of duty. Looking on are officials from unions that lobbied for the legislation for more than 30 years and the commissioners of the affected agencies.

The measure was introduced by the Bloomberg administration in January after more than 30 years of lobbying from the unions representing those titles. "The bottom line is that we would all prefer nobody die in the line of duty," Mr. Bloomberg said before signing the legislation. "But this is one way to support their families."

Same As Police, Fire

The bill will grant surviving spouses and children of those employees the same aid that currently exists for the families of cops and firefighters. Under the measure, spouses would receive health benefits until they die; children would be covered until at least age 18.

JOSEPH P. ADDABBO: 'Step in right direction.'

The legislation was hailed by the two unions representing the affected titles, the Correction Officers' Benevolent Association and the Uniformed Sanitationmen's Association. "This is very important," said USA President Harry Nespoli.

'Step in Right Direction'

Joseph P. Addabbo Jr., the City Council's Civil Service and Labor Committee Chair, called the measure a "step in the right direction." He has long urged the Bloomberg administration to provide health coverage to the surviving spouses of all civilian employees.

In 2005, Mr. Addabbo proposed legislation covering all city workers. Mayor Bloomberg, however, opposed the broad bill, which a Council official said could cost as much as $1 billion.

Before last week's bill was signed into law, the city provided health benefits to surviving family members of Sanitation Workers, Correction Officers, and civilian employees on an individual basis. That allowed the Mayor and the Council to hold a press conference and receive positive coverage each time the benefit was extended to include the surviving family of a newly deceased city worker.

Unnecessary Anxiety

That process, however, caused the grieving families some unnecessary anxiety, as they had to wait for the Mayor to introduce the legislation amending the current law, union officials noted.

It took the city close to two months to provide health insurance to the widow and child of Department of Transportation worker Nicky Antico, who was killed in September 2005 by a hit-and-run driver while repaving a street in Staten Island.

More recently, Sanitation Worker Rafael Concepcion died Dec. 15, 2006 when he was thrown from the cab of his truck after his co-worker lost control while rounding a corner.

Under the new legislation, the Mayor and the Council do not have discretion over who receives the benefit.