Adler says hospital-based EMS stands with FDNY EMS

Good afternoon.

My name is Walter Adler.

I am a hospital-based paramedic.

I am the president of the Emergency Medical Services Public Advocacy Council.

I'm also an 1199 delegate.

I'm here today as a paramedic who works for the voluntary hospitals to say it is painful and shameful to watch what is happening to the bleeding of FDNY EMS.

We see how their union leaders are struggling, organizing, negotiating, fighting for 4.6 years is what it now feels like.

And we give them respect.

We see their members.

We do our jobs with their members.

I'm the ALS.

I have some Fidney BLS.

I began my career as a scared little 18-year-old working for TransCare in Canarsie.

I became a Midwood Teamster.

I was in 2507 for four years as a fire department EMT.

And now I'm a proud, proud, proud member of 1199 at a hospital.

And I will say this, above all else, I am a paramedic and I was an EMT.

And I want our brothers and sisters in Fidney to know that we're not a competing force.

We're out here with them.

We get paid completely different ways in different sectors.

But that is by design.

It is not that there's like a villain in this story.

The council makes resolutions that say parity is important.

Mayors make promises.

They do their best.

The OLR isn't a hateful group of people, so we think.

Everybody's trying their best to get justice for our municipal EMS workforce.

And we, the about 3,000 members of the 1199 hospital-based EMS, with our brothers and sisters in Presbyterian, who are non-union, we are saying we are not a competing force and we see you out there.

That then said...