New York said farewell Wednesday to a hero as retired NYPD Detective Lou Alvarez was laid to rest _ the latest victim of World Trade Center-related illnesses. To his final breath, Alvarez fought for making the federal 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund permanent and financially solvent to aid the expanding rolls of first responders and others who are suffering.
Although neither Mayor de Blasio nor Gov. Cuomo were at the funeral, they both have an official role regarding the cause of the WTC sickened. And it's not the mayor giving Alvarez a posthumous Key to the City _ recognizing not only his NYPD service, but his unending advocacy for his fellow heroes and victims.
De Blasio must stand down in his opposition to granting unlimited sick time to all municipal workers who volunteered in the pile post-9/11. Cops and firefighters already have this benefit, but many others don't.
Last year, with Albany poised to pass a sick time bill, de Blasio intervened to kill it _ promising to grant the benefit through union bargaining. We were more than skeptical and as it turned out, correctly so. With onerous bureaucratic hoops to jump through, only a handful qualified.
Last month, in the closing order of business, the Legislature passed a bill extending 9/11-related unlimited sick time to NYPD and FDNY civilian workers, EMTs and paramedics.
Cuomo must sign it and extend assistance to the selfless people who, like Lou Alvarez, sacrificed their health to help at Ground Zero in the city's and country's days of dire need.
