ATLANTA — Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens says he will sign the city’s first union contract with Atlanta firefighters after more than a year of delays and a lawsuit filed by the firefighters union.
The signing ceremony is scheduled for Monday at the Public Safety Training Center.
The collective bargaining agreement, previously approved by the Atlanta City Council in 2025, allows the union to negotiate with the city over pay, promotions, grievances, and training.
The mayor’s decision comes after the firefighters union held a new election for union president. Captain Alvin Rashad won the position following earlier disputes over a previous election last fall, which had been cited by the mayor as a reason for delaying the signing.
Rashad takes over for former president Nate Bailey, who will continue serving as president of the state firefighters union.
In his first act as union president, Rashad addressed Atlanta City Council members during a budget hearing, calling for better compensation and more affordable healthcare to help retain firefighters.
“Once they start having a family, having a kid or two and having to pay that insurance, they can’t do it anymore, they can’t afford it so they look for or go to the private sectors or other opportunities,” Rashad said.
Rashad said Atlanta firefighters face lower salaries and higher healthcare costs compared to other cities.
“It’ll bridge the gaps to ensure that Atlanta firefighters can recruit, retain, and properly support firefighters who protect us everyday,” Rashad said.
Union officials say low pay and rising insurance costs are causing firefighters to leave the department for better-paying opportunities elsewhere.
“We’ve had two sergeants leave to go do private construction, they reference pay and healthcare as being the primary reasons. We had a lieutenant go to Delta, she makes more as a flight attendant than she did as a lieutenant,” Bailey said.
Bailey also told council members that improving firefighter pay remains the union’s top priority.
“Some of our requests from council and FY-27, is definitely fixing this pay plan. It is our number one priority,” Bailey said.
The Atlanta City Council approved a 6% budget increase for the department, but it does not include the pay raises sought by the union.
WSB Radio’s Graham Carroll contributed to this story.