Union leader says Atlanta not upholding contract as morale dips; city contends it’s providing ‘unprecedented level of support’

ATLANTA — The leader of Atlanta’s firefighters union spoke out Monday about what he described as several issues causing low morale within the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department, including low pay, retention struggles, equipment shortcomings and a contract that he says the city isn’t upholding.

Captain Nate Bailey spoke to reporters before Monday’s City Council meeting. He said there will be an ordinance introduced to legislate firefighter pay if the contract is not upheld.

In the union’s telling, a contract was agreed on last year but was never formally signed by Mayor Andre Dickens, and the city stopped upholding it in October.

In the meantime, Captain Bailey contends the force’s morale has sunk. He said as many as 48 percent of firefighters are seeking other 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 said Monday.

The city, meanwhile, has recently responded to complaints from the union. The city contends it “has provided an unprecedented level of support” in recent years to AFRD. 

Bailey said many mornings there are multiple ladder trucks and fire engines out of service — citing November 2021 as the last time every engine and truck in the city was in service at the same time. The city says that’s part of an ongoing rotation as four stations undergo renovations and repairs, as well as some apparatus that “may rotate temporarily out of service for routine maintenance, which is a normal part of managing a fleet of this size.”

Some recent comments on equipment availability, the city contends, “have included misinformation and fear-mongering that do not reflect how AFRD operates or the level of service currently being provided.” The union leader said Monday the city is “way behind on equipment, we’re way behind on pay, and we need to get this contract done.”

Bailey didn’t detail the salary ordinance that was supposed to go before the City Council on Monday, but said the current state is untenable.

He said it takes 15 years for a firefighter to reach $68,000, which he called the “lowest top pay range in the Southeast.” He also outlined issues with the force’s health and wellness, including 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 said.

The city rejects the claim that pay is not competitive. A recent release said AFRD saw raises of 7-15% in the 2023 fiscal year, plus a 3.5% cost-of-living adjustment in 2024. 

It says it resolved more than 400 “long-standing” pay discrepancies and reinstated a promotions process to promote more than 150 firefighters. The city also points to the opening of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center last year, which includes facilities for the fire department.

“Atlanta’s firefighters deserve modern facilities, reliable equipment, and the support needed to protect residents in every neighborhood,” said Mayor Andre Dickens in a statement last week. “We are continuing to make the long-term investments required to keep Atlanta safe today and into the future.”