When New York City stood engulfed in smoke and disbelief on 9/11, thousands of responders rushed toward catastrophe. Among them were the city’s sanitation workers - individuals rarely labeled as first responders, yet essential to the city’s survival in the days and months that followed. DSNY crews labored under extreme conditions: ill-fitting masks that clogged with ash, uniforms permanently stained by debris, and workdays so punishing they blurred into nights. One worker later recalled brushing dust from his coat so many times that the fabric changed color, yet returning each morning because “someone had to do it.”
The long-term consequences of this exposure were devastating. Many sanitation workers developed severe, chronic illnesses - including cancers directly linked to their service at Ground Zero. Some died from these conditions. For their families, the losses were permanent, but official recognition remained inconsistent for more than two decades.
The newly enacted Ignazio Giacalone Act, named for DSNY sanitation worker Ignazio “Iggy” Giacalone, who succumbed to a 9/11-related cancer, finally rectifies this longstanding inequity. The law grants the children and siblings of sanitation workers who died from 9/11 exposure an additional ten points on competitive municipal civil-service exams, aligning their benefits with those granted to families of fallen NYPD and FDNY members. This advantage is not symbolic: A ten-point boost can meaningfully change hiring outcomes, enabling families to pursue stable, pension-backed public employment that reflects the service their loved ones gave the city.
The path to this legislation was shaped by a rare moment of bipartisan resolve. Assemblyman Sam Berger, a moderate Democrat representing Queens, spearheaded the effort in the Assembly. Berger worked directly with impacted families, crafted the bill’s language with precision, and advocated persistently to ensure the legislation addressed both the historical record and the practical needs of DSNY families.
Yet the momentum for the bill began at the municipal level, in an unexpected meeting that set everything in motion.
According to Council Member Vickie Paladino, the turning point came when a retired Sanitation Chief walked into her office and laid out the realities DSNY families were facing. “When he explained things to me,” Paladino said, “I knew there was something I needed to do on behalf of Michael and others.” Recognizing the urgency, Paladino and her Chief of Staff immediately drafted City Council Resolution 739.
Paladino explained that the internal politics of the City Council often make it difficult for resolutions to gain traction. “Through Sam, I was able to bypass the Council entirely. It probably never would’ve been seen, and instead he was able to get it to Albany.” Her partnership with Berger ensured that the issue did not stall in municipal bureaucracy but advanced directly to where real legislative change could occur. “This all happened within a short span of time - maybe eight months,”
In the State Senate, the bill was carried by Senator Robert Jackson, whose sponsorship ensured that the legislation advanced cleanly through the Senate and aligned with the Assembly version.
All these efforts converged on September 10, when Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Ignazio Giacalone Act into law, deliberately timed to coincide with the 9/11 commemoration period. Families of fallen sanitation workers, including Michael Giacalone, stood beside DSNY representatives and the lawmakers who had championed the bill.
The Ignazio Giacalone Act is a long-overdue recognition of a workforce whose courage, endurance, and sacrifice were foundational to New York’s recovery after 9/11. By granting tangible, meaningful benefits to their families, New York State has taken a crucial step toward restoring dignity and correcting an omission that lingered for decades.
While the act represents an important milestone, it also highlights the need for continued awareness and support for municipal workers still battling long-term health consequences from their exposure after the attacks. Many remain in need of expanded resources and legislative attention.
By Shabsie Saphirstein
