Retired EMT Jennifer Dougherty, 49, has World Trade Center-related ovarian cancer from her work at Fresh Kills Landfill after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. She had to retire 5 years sooner than she planned to in order to keep her health benefits, reports Thomas Tracy for the New York Daily News. Her sick time ran out.
Police officers, firefighters and NYC Sanitation workers have unlimited sick time for 9/11-related illnesses. Other recovery workers — including EMS workers — do not.
Legislation to grant other city workers who worked during the recovery effort the same benefit has been blocked by Mayor de Blasio’s legislative memo.
Benjamin Chevat, executive director of 9/11 Health Watch, told the News, “The mayors’ [sic] Albany representative has the audacity to say this should be part of a ‘contract negotiation’? Really? On 9/11 and the days after, these EMT’s didn’t stop and say, ‘Wait, hold on, maybe we should negotiate exposure to deadly toxins into our contract before going.’ They responded.”
