City Turns To Washington To Pay For

Residents Serving In Iraq, Afghanistan

NY Daily News 5/24/09

Since Sept. 11, 2001, the city has paid nearly $150 million to city employees on leave serving in Iraq and Afghanistan - and lawmakers want the feds to pick up the tab.

After the wars began, many reservists - mostly firefighters and cops - were shipped overseas to fight. The city agreed to reimburse the difference in their salaries. For example, if a cop made $45,000 a year but made just $30,000 with the military, the city would make up the $15,000 difference.

"These are proud Americans who happen to be from New York," said Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn/Queens), who is introducing legislation this week to require Washington to reimburse New York for the expense.

"They made the decision to defend their city by going off to war for our country and the fact is that we have fewer firefighters, police officers and EMTs on the streets because of that patriotic decision," Weiner said.

Since the terror attacks, 2,264 city employees have taken military leave - including 1,320 from the NYPD and 291 from the FDNY.

City workers who served have missed a total of 802,952 days of work.

The city has paid out $148,413,585 for military leave, including $96.7 million to NYPD employees and $15.9 million to FDNY workers.

Of that, $89 million was spent covering the gap in pay differences between city jobs and military salaries.

Weiner's legislation would force the federal government to pay that back.

"Dozens of New York families have lost loved ones in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," Weiner said. "But all New Yorkers have paid in economic price for this foreign policy folly."

sgaskell@nydailynews.com