The contributions of labor unions at the site of the WTC towers is continuing, as the primary focus shifts from rescuing victims to protecting those involved in the cleaup effort. The National Hazardous Materials Training Program of the International Union of Operating Engineers has been providing much of the training and safety equipment to those working on the still smoking piles of rubble that mark ground zero. The expertise of the IUOE, whose members the work cranes and other heavy machinery used in construction and cleanup sites, has become essential as many of the NYC Fire Department's hazardous materials specialists died in the collapse of the towers.
See "Cleanup Hazards At Ground Zero An Ongoing Worry", BEN WHITE, The Washington Post, October 15, 2001