Atlanta officials, union heads set to meet Friday to talk pay
A scheduled 9:30 a.m. meeting between top city of Atlanta officials and union heads to begin negotiations on salary increases has been pushed to this afternoon.
Union leaders, backed by more than 50 first responders and their families who were prepared to rally and march outside of City Hall, are now expected to meet at 3 p.m. with Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and members of the council.
“On our way to the meeting, we were approached by the commissioner of human resources and she said it has been postponed,” said Gina Pagnotta-Murphy, president of the Professional Association of City Employees. “We didn’t get a reason.”
City workers are fighting a $2.7 million budget proposal that would give some of them raises that would range from 1 to 3 percent.
Last week, city councilman C.T. Martin proposed creating a bi-partisan commission composed of councilmembers, Reed and union officials to negotiate a settlement.
City workers are calling for raises of at least 5 percent, or a plan to steadily increase salaries.
“I’ve been with the city for 16 years and we constantly come up short,” said 911 communications supervisor Lagina Hubbard. “We are the first responders and if we don’t answer the call, nobody gets the call. Now, what we want are annual increments and a decent pay increase.”
About the Author
Ernie Suggs is an enterprise reporter covering race and culture for the AJC since 1997. A 1990 graduate of N.C. Central University and a 2009 Harvard University Nieman Fellow, he is also the former vice president of the National Association of Black Journalists. His obsession with Prince, Spike Lee movies, Hamilton and the New York Yankees is odd.
