Ground Zero Workers Fight for Insurance

July 2007

Nearly six years after the New York City attacks of September 11, 2001, ground zero workers have yet to receive a single payment from the $1 billion set aside by Congress to cover their injuries sustained during the World Trade Center cleanup. A class-action lawsuit has been filed in the name of 10,000 workers seeking compensation for their on-the-job injuries.

Congress approved the creation of the WTC Captive Insurance Co. in 2003 to cover the insurance expenses for those involved in the ground zero cleanup. But the $1B Congress granted the WTC Captive has never been distributed, failing to cover the lost wages, medical bills, and burial expenses of WTC cleanup workers.

Studies show that 70 percent of ground zero workers have respiratory disease from on-the-job exposure to toxic dust. Over 100 of them have died from respiratory complications related to the WTC cleanup. The New York City government has estimated the cost of caring for sick workers at $393 million per year.