 The
tragedy on 11 September took a massive toll on UNISON members'
counterparts in the USA. Reports at 15 September had 1,000
union members still unaccounted for.
But
the horror is not over for emergency services, city, state,
government and health workers who toil on in the rescue
and clean-up effort.Thousands
of members volunteered through their unions and many have
been injured and traumatised.
"Public
Service workers at the forefront of the effort to deal with
the tragedy have themselves become victims. Our thoughts
are with them”, said Mike Kirby, UNISONScotland Convenor.
And
nowhere is this loss more evident than in the words of Harold
A Shaitberger, General President of the International Association
of Firefighters (IAAF).
"At
this point we cannot calculate the enormous loss of life.
(This) will undoubtedly be the worst day for line-of-duty
deaths in the 83 year history of the IAAF”.
Unions
in New York and Washington have played a key role in co-ordinating
the effort, in supporting each other and in providing aid
and comfort for victims and their families.
"We
mourn those who perished as they performed their work, whether
in rescue efforts, in offices or on airplanes”, said John
Sweeney, President of the AFL-CIO union federation. "Already
union members have gone into action to assist the rescue
efforts”.
District
Council 37, part of the American Federation of State, County
and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), represents 56 ‘locals'
covering all sectors of New York City employees. It had
to close its offices in Barclay Street close to the World
Trade Centre, and set up an emergency base.
"Many
of our members are overcoming their shock and disbelief
to provide heroic, round-the-clock emergency, health care
and support services”, said Lee Sanders, DC37 Administrator.
Danny
Donohoe, Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) President
said, "It is likely that CSEA lost brothers and sisters
working in the World Trade Center. Our hearts and prayers
go out to all the victims and their families.
"Many
CSEA members are already assisting, directly and indirectly,
in the aftermath of this horrific tragedy. CSEA is encouraging
all of its members to donate blood and volunteer to help
in other ways”.
Amidst
the horror and anger, Andrew L Stern of the Service Employees
International Union (SEIU) called for ‘American values'
and warned against any backlash attacks on Arab-Americans
or ‘other innocent people based on the color of their skin
or the country they originally come from'.
"Just
as we are a nation of immigrants, we are a union of immigrants,
with members from all countries of the Middle East as well
as all other continents. This is a time to make an extra
effort in our workplaces and in our communities to reach
out to each other and show the world that in times of crisis
we unite behind our ideals”, he said.
And
he lashed extreme right wingers Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson
‘who said on television that feminists, civil liberties
organizations, Americans who believe in a woman's right
to choose about abortion, and gays and lesbians invited
the terrorist attacks on this country by making God mad.'
"America
cannot fight hatemongers and religious intolerance by becoming
hateful and intolerant ourselves. The best way we can honour
the victims of the attacks of September 11 is to stand up
for the basic values America has always aspired to”, said
Mr
Stern.
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