Firefighters campaign for pairty

WXIA TV

November 27, 2004

Reported by: Duffie Dixion

Firefighters took to the streets Saturday enlisting the help of citizens to get a pay raise.

The mayor proposed a 4-percent raise for police officers in Atlanta, but just a 1-percent hike for firefighters and other city workers. Firefighters hoped to change that decision by placing some political pressure on their city council members.

In uniform, with flyers in hand, and on their own time, firefighters visited the Mayor's street on Saturday. They asked residents for the same pay raise being given to police.

"We're out here working in the council districts this weekend to ask our best supporters, the citizens, to contact their city council members and urge them to override the mayor's veto," firefighter Jim Daws told 11Alive's Duffie Dixon.

Firefighters hope thousands of phone calls from residents will swing enough votes in the city council to override the mayor.

The city council added a $5 million line item to the proposed budget that would have given firefighters and other city workers a 4-percent raise. A few days later, the mayor vowed to veto the pay raise.

"Morale in the fire department is as low as I've ever seen people feel. They've been consigned to second class public safety status and people feel really search their hearts about why they decided to come work for the Atlanta Fire Department in the first place," Daws said.

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin insisted the city was finally in the black thanks to her tight fiscal decisions.

"Never, that I recall, has the city anticipated revenue and promised pay raises," said Franklin.

Firefighters said they campaigned for Franklin, because she promised pay parity with police. A promise they said she needs to keep.

"We think it's a moral issue... don't think its right to tell police and firefighters that they should risk their lives in the service of this city and then make an economic calculation about which of those groups should be paid more," Daws said.

There are 14 city council members, of which eight are on record as being in favor of the 4-percent increase. Sixteen votes are required to override the mayor's veto.

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