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UFA Rep's Tunnel Vision

To the Editor:

Over the years I have often encountered people with differing opinions, and have learned that when welcomed, such divergence can bring fresh ideas to the table. I believe those who express their opinions should be respected, even in the absence of consensus. While Bill Romaka and the Uniformed Firefighters Association may not agree with me, directing personal attacks at the FDNY EMS Retirees Association and me (Oct. 10 issue) serves only to distract from the very real and important issues at hand.

The record stands for itself: letters of affirmation from the Federal Government and the agreement of Congress support our position that FDNY retirees should be able to choose to receive care from the FDNY Bureau of Health Services or at another participating center of excellence.

Mr. Romaka has no problem forcing active firefighters into the FDNY WTC monitoring program; however, many members of the Retirees Associations (both Firefighters and EMS) are concerned with this aspect of the bill. All parties involved in the decision-making process agreed with our position.

Mr. Romaka falsely stated "... retirees always had the freedom to go elsewhere if they so chose." The recent changes to the proposed bill are a direct result of the FDNY EMS Retirees Association and the Association of Retired FDNY Firefighters' efforts to address the complete lack of options in the original legislation. Even as late as Aug. 19, when we held a rally outside Congresswoman Maloney's Manhattan office, her own press secretary admitted that retirees did not have any choice. In fact, Retired Firefighters and EMS were told that they had no choice but to return to the FDNY. In addition, the RTI call center hired by the FDNY was not, and still is not instructed to advise members that they have other choices for care, even out of state.

I respect the work Mr. Romaka does representing his members. However, his personal attacks, advocacy for stripping retirees of a choice in WTC care and misrepresentation of retiree experiences do not serve his members well. He may not like me and he may not agree with the position of the FDNY EMS Retirees Association, but he might better understand the everyday issues facing all our members if he looked into the facts rather than dismissing our position as "bitching." The fact remains that most FDNY unions and BHS set up a program that took away the freedom of choice in care for all FDNY retirees.

We won a legitimate legal battle, and FDNY retirees are appreciative for that. I wish to thank the Association of Retired Firefighters for standing in solidarity with us, Congress and NIOSH for realizing that they cannot legally compel a retiree into a health-care program with their former employer.

I welcome the choice this decision provides our members, even if the UFA still wants to pretend that it never happened. Perhaps when Mr. Romaka sits at our retiree table, he will have learned the importance of looking at the situation from views other than his own. Now that the bill supports all our members, it is the time for the unions, AFL-CIO, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and District Council 37 to work together to get this long overdue and critical bill passed.

MARIANNE PIZZITOLA, President, FDNY EMS Retirees Association