Hanif and Lee respond to EMS worker testimonies
Hanif acknowledges the urgency of the EMS crisis, shares frustration about the lack of dedicated hearings, and offers to meet with workers. Lee references the May executive budget hearing where EMS pay parity was discussed, notes her visit to the Bay Terrace training site, and commits to continuing the fight for EMS salary increases.
Thank you all for joining us today.
And as my colleagues shared, we recognize that this is not a problem that we're just learning about today.
This is an ongoing crisis.
And I share your frustration.
I don't have...
The answer nor the budget.
I share your frustration because I know that you all have been coming to hearings unrelated to the topic and you know that obviously disrupts the hearing topic.
However, I would also love to stay behind to meet with you folks.
I don't know what your day looks like.
Obviously don't want to make that ask given you probably took time off from work to come
and stick around, I saw many of you here for the admin's testimony and the back and forth Q&A that we did, and you're still here.
However, certainly this is important and the urgency couldn't be
couldn't be higher.
And the testimonies that you provide about the various New Yorkers, whether it be a suicide-related call, whether it be senior who needed assistance right away to folks with disabilities, this is urgent.
And you all are our first-line folks who are
seeing these New Yorkers.
It's not us.
We are hearing about them, but it isn't us.
So I know that this isn't the time, but I do have a lot of questions.
And it's not, I'm not, I've asked committee staff here to check whether we have done a specific hearing on the pay parity issues.
Know that that would probably take place within the FDNY committee.
And so not sure if this is a hearing that has taken place in that space, but would certainly be an advocate for that.
But if all of you, some of you are able to stick around, and that meeting doesn't have to happen today, but
I join my colleagues in wanting to have a further conversation so that I can get some clarity on questions that I have that have come from the testimonies you've provided today.
But thank you all for your service every single day, for the years of service, and also for helping the next generation of frontline workers,
first responders, so that our city is the strongest it can be to support New Yorkers who need that care the most.
Thank you.
Especially be heard.
I know we interrupted and we apologize for the interruption.
I just want to let you guys know that.
I just want to say thank you again for letting me.
Okay, thank you.
And then we're going to move to the next panel.
Let's invite our Manhattan Borough President, Braham.
Pras-Homaziko.