The Atlanta firefighters union set a Friday deadline for Mayor Dickens to sign their contract, and instead of a signature, they got a political mud fight. Rather than inking the deal that City Council unanimously ratified almost a year ago, Dickens decided to question union president Nate Bailey's legitimacy as a negotiating partner.
Dickens is claiming there were 'irregularities' in Bailey's re-election last November and says the union will have to redo the election in May. His statement reads like he's looking for any excuse to avoid signing what would be Atlanta Fire Rescue's first-ever union contract. Meanwhile, firefighters are probably wondering why their mayor is playing politics with their working conditions.
This whole mess highlights the weird relationship Atlanta has with organized labor. We'll bend over backward to attract businesses with tax incentives, but when it comes to our own city workers wanting basic union representation, suddenly it's all about procedural questions and election irregularities. The firefighters deserve better than this political theater.
