Cloture Vote for Zadroga Act Fails

December 9, 2010 -- For the second time in two days, a unified GOP caucus successfully stopped IAFF legislation in the U.S. Senate, defeating a procedural vote today on the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, H.R. 847.
 

The Zadroga Act failed by a vote of 57-42, three votes short of the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster waged by anti-labor Senators. Every Republican Senator voted against cloture while every Democratic Senator supported the measure.
 

The Senate on Wednesday stopped efforts to bring up legislation to extend collective bargaining rights to fire fighters by a vote of 55-43.
 

“The actions by GOP Senators have affectively derailed our efforts on collective bargaining. Today their votes prevented funding for existing medical monitoring and treatment programs for people at the World Trade Center on 9/11 or involved with the cleanup at Ground Zero who have suffered illnesses from the toxic dust and debris,” General President Harold

Schaitberger says.
 

The IAFF has worked with leadership from both the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York, Local 94, and the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, Local 854, to get the Zadroga Act passed.
 

“Our New York City locals have done everything they could to get this bill through Congress, but the partisan gridlock and the decision by the Republican delegation in the Senate to say ‘no’ to everything except tax breaks has left fire fighters and the living victims of 9/11 empty handed,” says Schaitberger.
 

The IAFF is still working to resurrect both bills before the 111th Congress adjourns.