Barasch & McGarry Celebrates Workers Memorial Day

Sunday, April 28th, is Workers Memorial Day.

This year, the day honors the fiftieth anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which promises every worker the right to a safe job.

When Barasch & McGarry was founded in 1996, the firm focused on representing New York City firefighters, police officers, paramedics, and other first responders who were injured in the line of duty. 

We are proud to have advocated for thousands of responders and their families, helping protect their financial security and health care access after an accident at work.

Today, Barasch & McGarry continues to fight for worker safety, both in disability cases and before the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund.

On and after 9/11, more than 100,000 first responders and hundreds of thousands of other workers in Lower Manhattan were exposed to Ground Zero toxins, increasing their risk of 69 different types of cancer and many respiratory illnesses.

Workers – many of them labor union leaders and members – organized the campaign to create the Zadroga Act, which restarted the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund and established the World Trade Center Health Program to provide compensation awards and free health care for 9/11 community members diagnosed with cancer or respiratory illness.

Thousands of workers walked the halls of Congress, sharing their stories and ultimately persuading Congress in 2010 to support 9/11 responders and survivors.

In the years since then, workers return to Capitol Hill to fight successfully to reauthorize and permanently extend the law’s protections.

As we celebrate Workers Memorial Day, let us never forget their sacrifices on behalf of all New Yorkers.

Barasch & McGarry represents nearly 40,000 members of the 9/11 community who have enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program or registered with the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund.

Barasch & McGarry can help you enroll in the health program and register with the compensation fund. Please contact us by visiting 911victims.com or calling 212-385-8000.

If you prefer to register or enroll directly, visit vcf.gov or cdc.gov/wtc.