Thousands of city frontline workers — including paramedics and emergency medical technicians — plan to boycott Mayor de Blasio’s Hometown Heroes ticker tape parade Wednesday.
Members of FDNY EMS will not be marching up the Canyon of Heroes unless they are on duty and working, union leaders said Tuesday.
“Members who are not paid will not attend,” said Vincent Variale, head of the Uniformed EMS Officers Union, which represents lieutenants and captains.
“Our members have been without a contract for more than three years and did not receive any hazard pay during COVID,” he added. “This mayor continues to disrespect EMS and all frontline responders and uses all of us for a public relations photo opportunity.”
By Tuesday afternoon almost all of the roughly 60 locals that are part of District Council 37, the city’s largest municipal union, said they are boycotting the parade.
“District Council 37 members were the essential workers helping New Yorkers get through the COVID-19 pandemic. They showed up when others stayed home,” said DC37 spokeswoman Freddi Goldstein. “Each local making up our union has made their own decision about whether to participate in the parade.”
Many of DC37′s 150,000 members are angry about the city not offering early retirement incentives authorized by the state Legislature last spring.
Only Local 1508, which represents uniformed Parks Department supervisors, is participating.
City correction officers are also joining the boycott, a spokesman for the Correction Officers Benevolent Association said. City probation officers will also join, their union said in a statement.
