Honoring the 20th Anniversary of September 11, 2001

This weekend, we honor the memories of all those who tragically lost their lives 20 years ago on September 11th, including the more than than 600 who were members of New York City unions. In addition to the first responders who were lost rushing to the aid of others, these included restaurant workers, communications workers, building trades workers and others in the World Trade Center and surrounding areas.

In the weeks and months that followed, workers from all walks of life and nearly fifty unions showed up to help, moving people to and from affected areas, building lighting structures to assist in rescue operations, cleaning up wreckage, rebuilding communications systems, and more. Many who answered the call have since developed chronic health conditions or died of illnesses caused by exposure to WTC contaminants.

The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act established the WTC Health Program in 2011 to provide healthcare to these 9/11 responders and survivors. Responders involved in the rescue, recovery, and cleanup services including temporary workers, day laborers, construction and building trades workers, communication workers, state and city workers and survivors (those in the dust or dust cloud on 9/11 and area workers/residents/students) present in the NYC Disaster Area are eligible for the program, which provides no-cost medical monitoring and treatment. Visit NYCOSH's World Trade Center Health Program page for more information on eligibility and how to apply.