On Tuesday September 15th a special program honored the thousands of construction workers that volunteered to clean up of the World Trae Center following the September 11, 2001 attack. The ceremony was led by Gary LaBarbera, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York.
“Because we have risen, we have come back, and every building you see, every tower you see, every paver you see at the World Trade Center campus was put up or put in by building trades members of the New York City Building Trades
Council,” LaBarbera said.
The September 15th program was held steps away from the 9/11 Memorial. Union members from around the country came out to provide support for those who helped New York City get back on its feet 25 years ago. The New York City Building and Construction Trades lost 61 members on September 11, 2001, with thousands more suffering and dying from subsequent 9/11-related toxic illnesses during the Ground Zero clean-up.
Nearly 10,000 construction and building trades workers volunteered or worked on the Ground Zero pile, making up roughly 80% of the overall cleanup workforce. Clean-up operations at the World Trade Center site ran 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, continuing officially until May 30, 2002. Thousands of trade workers have faced severe respiratory conditions, cancers, and other chronic illnesses. Federal data indicates that over 5,000 responders and survivors enrolled in programs like World Trade Center Health Program have died from 9/11-related medical complications.
Approximately 1.8 million tons of debris were removed from the World Trade Center site following the September 11 attacks. This includes over 275,000 tons of structural steel. The clean-up process required more than 108,000 truckloads to haul the mate
“When I was here on September 11, and for the nine months that I spent down here working with all of you on a daily basis, I was really moved by two things – your skill, experience – but also your big hearts,” said Bill Keegan, a retired Port Authority Police Department lieutenant, special operations founder and president of HEART 9/11. “I saw how much you wanted to bring home to loved ones their family members.”
