August 15th - August 19th, 2011

9/11 Impacts FDNY Retirees

August 15 – Health problems tied to the World Trade Center attacks may be behind the rise in retirements for New York City firefighters, reported U.S. News and World Report. Citing a study that appeared in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, there was an increase in the number of disability qualified retirements (66 percent) in the seven years following September 11 than the seven years prior, in which 48 percent retired with disability. Of the 66 percent disability retirees (2,970 persons), 1,402 or 47 percent were associated with WTC-related illnesses, reported the study.

Concrete Labor Deadline Looming

August 16 – The Wall Street Journal reports, contractors are worried about the potential of a walk-off by workers if a deal can’t be reached with the unionized concrete workers. Workers walked off the job at the World Trade Center site earlier in August but returned upon an agreement to extend their old contract through August 16. Contractors have taken precautions at the site in preparation a deal isn’t reached before Tuesday by scheduling work that could be executed without the concrete workers

WTC Memorials Reach Across United States

August 17 – Over a year ago the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was unsure how many requests would be made for the 1,183 steel fragments from the World Trade Center. They soon were swamped with some 2,000 requests, reported New York Daily News. Today there are tributes in all 50 states and four continents, as far away as Afghanistan. There are at least 225 small-scale memorials that feature World Trade debris to be unveiled this September 11.