BALCONY Urges Governor Spitzer to Sign Law to Extend 9/11 Workers' Comp

ALBANY, NY (06/06/2007)(readMedia)-- BALCONY, the Business and Labor Coalition of New York (www.balconynewyork.com), today urged a one year extension of the 9/11 Workers compensation registration deadline to August 14, 2008 for all those who participated in rescue, recovery and clean-up.

BALCONY called upon Governor Eliot Spitzer to sign into law A4940, sponsored by Assembly member Jonathan Bing and passed yesterday by the Assembly, and the Senate version S04067 sponsored by Senator Andrew Lanza, passed earlier this week.

"While the 9/11 Workers' Compensation Law that was signed in August 2006 was a great step towards getting registration for all affected, it carries with it rigid time constraints. Ten months later, only a small minority of 9/11 affected workers who need to register with the Workers Compensation Board have done so. The amendment that was passed by the Legislature, and hopefully will be signed by the Governor, should allow an additional year for all those who were exposed to deadly toxins to register," stated BALCONY Co-Chair Bruce Ventimiglia, Chairman of Saratoga Capital Management, LLC.

This Bill (A4940) and S 04067 is "an act to amend the workers' compensation law, in relation to extending by a year, until 14 August 2008, the amount of time one has to complete their registration of participation in World Trade Center rescue, recovery and clean-up operations with the Workers' Compensation Board."

BALCONY urges all eligible workers and volunteers who participated in recovery, rescue or cleanup anywhere below Canal Street in Manhattan, for one year after 9/11 to register for New York State Workers' Compensation.

In October 2006, BALCONY produced a series of 9/11 Workers' Compensation television, radio and internet Public Service Announcements (PSAs), (available at http://www.balconynewyork.com/BalconySpecialAlert.htm) in both English and Spanish, featuring actress Sigourney Weaver, director Jim Simpson, and former boxing champion Jose Torres, all of whom work or live in Lower Manhattan. BALCONY 9/11 Workers' Compensation PSAs were funded by The Center on Workers' Injury Policy, Inc., among others, and have already been disseminated throughout New York on TV and radio stations, distributed to business and trade associations, and streamed on union websites.

BALCONY represents more than 500 New York businesses, labor unions, and trade associations. BALCONY seeks common ground in the public policy debate in New York to spur economic development through the adoption of business/union friendly, socially responsible common sense laws that maintain and improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers. For more information on BALCONY and to view the BALCONY 9/11 Workers' Compensation PSAs, please visit www.balconynewyork.com.