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Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao
New York Central
Labor Council
September 26, 2001
Good afternoon. Today I am grateful to stand with the unions that
represent America's heroes.
I am pleased to be joined by Brian McLaughlin, President of the New York
City Central Labor Council; Denis Hughes, President of the New York State
AFL-CIO; Patrick Bahnken, President of the AFSCME Local 2507 EMT and Paramedic;
Kevin Gallagher, President of the IAFF Local 94, Ed Walsh, Business Manager of
Iron Workers Local 40; and, Ed Malloy, President of the Building and
Construction Trades Council of Greater New York.
I want to thank these leaders for what they've done for America, and
what we'll do together in the future.
I also want to introduce two very brave women who are here with us
today. Ginny Quinn and Cecilia Lillo. Ginny's husband Ricardo was a fire
department paramedic with EMS Battalion 57 in Brooklyn. Cecilia's husband
Carlos was a fire department paramedic with EMS Battalion 49 in Queens. Both
Ricardo and Carlos responded to the attacks on the World Trade Center. Both of
these brave rescuers are still missing. Cecilia, who was working for the Port
Authority in the World Trade Center at the time of the attacks made it out,
Carlos did not.
The people beside me represent the men and women who built New York and
protected its streets and its citizens. On that Tuesday morning, they put on
their uniforms, hugged their children, and went to work.
Hours later they were scaling stairs, digging through rubble and helping
the wounded. Some never returned home.
We've all heard the amazing stories.
Stories of firefighters like Louis Arena who died while trying to save a
woman in a wheelchair. Or Port Authority Officer Dominick Pezzulo who escaped
the initial collapse only to return and perish while rescuing two fellow
officers.
There are other heroes like steamfitter James Drew and utility worker
Michael Simes. James cut steel beams for two 14-hour days. Michael spent over
eight hours a day in the manholes of Manhattan to restore electricity.
And more than a thousand ironworkers are working to burn and remove the
twisted steel. These were the men who helped build the towers, now they return
to clear out what remains.
When these union members reached the point of exhaustion and pain, they
kept working. A deputy fire chief ordered firefighters to go home and get some
rest. When he left, the firefighters went back to work. Ground Zero, someone
said, has a magnetic force - once you come you cannot leave.
These and other courageous acts have inspired the courage of millions -
both here and around the world. The quiet men and women who do their jobs and
do them in the face of danger deserve our thanks, and our respect.
These union members built America and they do whatever it takes to keep
her strong. In times of need, they're the first ones to arrive and the last
ones to leave.
The unions here today are establishing foundations and generously giving
to those families devastated by the attack - not just union families, either.
They are, as they always have, giving selflessly to help a neighbor or stranger
in need.
We witnessed heroism of another kind in the days following the attack.
Americans went back to work. Armed with briefcases and laptops, hard hats and
hammers they went to their offices and factories to rebuild the economy.
Together we are committed to rebuilding this great city, just as
President George W. Bush promised. The President is drawing upon every resource
to help our nation recover. His primary focus is to keep America strong and
prosperous.
My job, as his Secretary of Labor, is to provide a safety net for
workers who lost their jobs and to get people back to work as soon as possible.
We are moving quickly on that front.
The Department has already sent $25 million in National Emergency Grants
to New York. This money will ensure that workers who lost jobs or suffered
income loss because of the attacks will get help.
Each and every dislocated worker will receive unemployment insurance,
help in finding a temporary job or permanent job placement services. And this
is only the beginning. I've asked every agency head in my department to look at
their programs with an eye towards how we can help those devastated by this
tragedy.
President Bush hasn't forgotten about his domestic agenda, as well. We
need to get America back on track with more jobs for working families, better
education for our children, and a strong defense - at home and around the
world.
As we focus on bringing the terrorists to justice and strengthening our
internal security, rest assured that we haven't forgotten the workingmen, women
and families of this country.
You are the third pillar of strength, and the most fundamental one, in
our war on terrorism. Your heroic actions led the way to a rebirth of the
American spirit.
Now, along with a grateful nation, we're turning our full attention to
giving you the help you need to get back to work. You are the economic security
of our country- we will never, ever forget that fundamental truth and the great
debt we owe you. Thank you all very much. May God bless you and God bless
America.
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