With a ticker tape procession up the Canyon of Heroes on July 7, New York City will honor the vital employees who helped the city survive the coronavirus epidemic.
Mayor Bill De Blasio speaks at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum’s annual Memorial Day Commemoration Ceremony.
EMS Workers Will Rather Ask For Bonuses and Increase of Wages
In a recently published article in Daily News, EMS workers in New York City expressed their sentiments over the heroes parade. They said that they will appreciate it if the fund for the said parade will be utilized for their bonuses and wages.
A 13-year EMS veteran in the city said that she felt the parade was a joke and it is a big slap on her face. She also added that she did not think that it is real. The EMS veteran said this after the announcement of De Blasio.
Another 28-yer paramedic veteran said that he is not going to the parade. He also described it as bogus. He even said that he is scheduled to work during the Heroes Parade, but he will not go and attend even if it is his day off.
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De Blasio's Announcement of the Heroes Parade
Mayor Bill de Blasio said last month that a ticker tape procession up the Canyon of Heroes on July 7 would honor the vital employees who helped the city survive the coronavirus pandemic, according to a published article in the U.S. News.
The parade will feature floats representing health care workers, first responders, educators, municipal workers, transportation workers, grocery and bodega workers, delivery people, and "all the essential workers who made it happen, everyone who kept it together in New York City for all of us and brought us back," according to Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Additionally, this is not the first time for NYC to have a ticker tape parade. In fact, for more than 130 years, New York City has celebrated military heroes, successful athletes, visiting dignitaries, and others, as per PIX.
The Workload of EMS Workers
EMS personnel believe financial assistance would have been a better acknowledgment of their efforts than obligatory 12-hour tours and increased caseloads during the pandemic. While municipal EMS personnel did not get hazard compensation, they claim that their colleagues in private hospitals and ambulance firms did.
The fact that EMS unions have not had a new contract with the city for three years only adds to the animosity. According to one EMS worker, the mayor's objectives would be better served if the money set aside for the procession was instead distributed as incentives.
Meanwhile, the union is attempting to reach an agreement with the city, which pays EMS personnel about 25 percent to 30 percent less than firemen. During the peak of the pandemic, EMS personnel responded to 6,500 emergency calls each day. That's approximately the same amount of calls that were answered on September 11th.
Mayor de Blasio earlier said that the city's first large-scale parade will be for critical and front-line employees upon reopening. De Blasio expected the city to be completely operational by July 1 so he thought a celebration would be "exactly the appropriate moment for it."
Related Article: Andrew Cuomo Slams Mayor Bill de Blasio's Plans to Fully Reopen New York by July 1
