Union leader says Atlanta not upholding contract as morale dips; city contents it’s providing ‘unprecedented level of support’
According to Captain Nate Bailey, practically half of Atlanta firefighters are searching for employment elsewhere, primarily because of low pay.
ATLANTA — The leader of Atlanta’s firefighters union spoke out Monday about what he described as a number of points inflicting low morale inside the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department, together with low pay, retention struggles, tools shortcomings and a contract that he says the city is not upholding.
Captain Nate Bailey spoke to reporters earlier than Monday’s City Council assembly. He mentioned there will probably be an ordinance launched to legislate firefighter pay if the contract is not upheld.
In the union’s telling, a contract was agreed on final 12 months however was by no means formally signed by Mayor Andre Dickens, and the city stopped upholding it in October.
In the meantime, Captain Bailey contends the pressure’s morale has sunk. He mentioned as many as 48 % of firefighters are searching for different employment.
“Overall, we’re asking City Hall to invest in its fire department, listen to the needs and come up with a plan to address them,” Bailey mentioned Monday.
The city, in the meantime, you have recently responded to complaints from the union. The city contends it “has provided an unprecedented level of support” lately to AFRD.
Bailey mentioned many mornings there are a number of ladder vehicles and hearth engines out of service — citing November 2021 as the final time each engine and truck within the city was in service on the identical time. The city says that is half of an ongoing rotation as 4 stations bear renovations and repairs, as properly as some equipment that “may rotate temporarily out of service for routine maintenance, which is a normal part of managing a fleet of this size.”
Some current feedback on tools availability, the city incorporates, “have included misinformation and fear-mongering that do not reflect how AFRD operates or the level of service currently being provided.” The union leader mentioned Monday the city is “way behind on equipment, we’re way behind on pay, and we need to get this contract done.”
Bailey did not element the wage ordinance that was imagined to go earlier than the City Council on Monday, however mentioned the present state is untenable.
He mentioned it takes 15 years for a firefighter to succeed in $68,000, which he known as the “lowest top pay range in the Southeast.” He additionally outlined points with the pressure’s well being and wellness, together with allegedly uncompleted annual physicals and agility testing.
“You can keep hiring people, but if they’re getting in the door, getting trained by citizen tax dollars, and then they’re immediately seeking employment elsewhere, that’s a problem, and the city should want to address that,” Bailey mentioned.
The city rejects the declare that pay is not aggressive. A current launch mentioned AFRD noticed raises of 7-15% within the 2023 fiscal 12 months, plus a 3.5% cost-of-living adjustment in 2024.
It says it resolved greater than 400 “long-standing” pay discrepancies and reinstated a promotions course of to advertise greater than 150 firefighters. The city additionally factors to the opening of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center final 12 months, which incorporates services for the hearth division.
“Atlanta’s firefighters deserve modern facilities, reliable equipment, and the support needed to protect residents in every neighborhood,” mentioned Mayor Andre Dickens in an announcement final week. “We are continuing to make the long-term investments required to keep Atlanta safe today and into the future.”
