NYPost | By Reuven Fenton and Ben Kesslen | August 2, 2022
The politician who authored the “unlimited sick leave” bill for city employees disabled by the Sept. 11th terror attacks slammed the FDNY in a letter after The Post reported the department is firing the heroes for being out sick longer than a year.
State Sen. Andrew Gounardes (D-Brooklyn), one of the bill’s sponsors, said in the letter sent Monday that “unlimited means unlimited” and the law’s purpose was to prevent this situation from happening.
“These heroic EMTs answered the clarion call to service at one of our country’s darkest hours, and continue to pay the price for their heroism years later,” Gounardes wrote in the missive, addressed to FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh.
State Sen. Andrew Gounardes called out the FDNY for trying to fire 9/11 first responders who have been out sick for over a year.
“Forcing them off the FDNY’s payroll as they await the processing of their disability retirement application is extremely poor repayment for such service.”