Brooklyn, NY – Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-South Queens) spoke yesterday at a rally at the New York City Employees Retirement System (NYCERS) headquarters, joining the Uniformed EMTs, Paramedics, and Inspectors, FDNY, Local 2507, District Council 37, AFSCME, and AFL-CIO.

“Many of us pledge to never forget the events of 9/11 or those who died that day, but we need to continue to fight for those who survived and are currently living with 9/11-related illnesses,” Pheffer Amato said. “I am here today to represent all of the 9/11 first responders who are too sick to be here in person. As a member of the NYS Assembly Governmental Employees Committee, it is crucial to understand NYCERS’ delay. Many of these heroes are very sick, and NYCERS refuses to acknowledge the most severe illnesses brought on by 9/11. When NYCERS tells someone that they are ‘not sick enough’ despite years of medical documentation of their WTC-related illnesses, they are denying their legacy and security for their families.”

“Assemblywoman Pheffer Amato showed today why she is a champion for the WTC First Responder Community,” Gary Smiley, World Trade Center (WTC) Liaison for FDNY Local 2507 Uniformed EMTs, Paramedics, and Fire Inspectors, said. “She was standing in the rain next to members of the FDNY EMS, corrections officers and correction captains, advocate John Feal, and myself, demanding that the egregious behavior of the NYCERS Medical Board be investigated and stopped. This board has denied 70% of their WTC disability pensions, and we deserve more.”

During her four years in office, Assemblywoman Pheffer Amato has passed several 9/11 bills, including establishing a 9/11 Worker Protection Task Force, and allowing all officers and employees with a qualifying WTC condition to take unlimited sick leave. She also passed legislation to reform and expand the NYCERS medical board by 20 doctors, including several who specialized in WTC-related illnesses.