Finance committee holds ordinance to let CFO set rules for payroll deduction of union dues

The City of Atlanta Finance and Executive Committee on Oct. 15 held an ordinance that would allow the chief financial officer to set administrative standards for payroll deduction of labor-organization dues.

The committee, chaired by Howard Shook, voted to hold the substitute ordinance after public comment from union leaders and a review by city staff. The committee recorded the item as held following a motion to hold and second; the chair announced the item was held.

The proposal, introduced to the committee as a substitute, would amend the Code of Ordinances, City of Atlanta, chapter 114 (personnel), article 2 (compensation), division 1, section 114-28 to give the CFO authority to promulgate rules under which labor organizations could apply for payroll deduction of member dues. Department of Human Resources Commissioner Calvin Blackburn told the committee the change was intended to “allow for an easier, more efficient way for unions to get payroll deductions” and said the deduction amount discussed would be about "$12.50 biweekly" for members who authorized it in writing.

The ordinance drew objections from multiple union leaders during the public-comment period. Nate Bailey, president of the Atlanta Professional Firefighters, said the proposal risked undermining the city’s recently enacted mediation/collective-bargaining framework, calling the substitute legislation “a Trojan horse to repeal the mediation act.” Tyler Nelson, president of Progressive Firefighters, said Progressive’s goal was limited to securing payroll deduction and that the group did not seek to be the firefighters’ collective-bargaining agent: “Progressive has never tried to be the collective bargaining agent. We don't care to.” A representative speaking for IBPO (identified in the transcript as Katie Reester, vice president of IBPO 0623) said the timing and lack of prior notice to unions felt like “backdoor deal making” and urged the council to hold the item.

Council members pressed staff and the city law department for legal and operational clarity before voting. Amber Robinson of the City of Atlanta Department of Law told the committee that a privileged memorandum explaining some reasons for the substitute had been provided to members; she also said the substance of whether the city could undo an exclusive bargaining-agent designation was controlled by state law. Robinson explicitly cited state law (OCGA 25-5-5) and told the committee that the designation of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) as the firefighters’ exclusive bargaining agent is a matter governed by state statute and cannot be undone by city ordinance absent another majority union vote.

Members also asked for operational details. Commissioner Blackburn said implementation would require system configuration and coordination between HR and finance and that the administrative rules envisioned would include “certain thresholds, certain parameters, certain requirements” to avoid allowing very small groups to qualify automatically. When asked for a headcount, council members requested that HR return with “the raw number of Progressives and what percentage of the firefighting workforce they comprise”; that number was not provided at the meeting.

After discussion the committee chair moved to hold the item; the motion was seconded and the chair announced the item was held. The committee did not adopt the substitute or set an immediate next date for action; staff were asked to compile additional information and clarifications.

Why it matters: the ordinance would have shifted some authority from the legislative body to the CFO and city administration for approving payroll-deduction eligibility for labor groups. Unions and some council members said the change could have unintended consequences for existing collective-bargaining arrangements; the law department said state statute limits what a city ordinance can change regarding exclusive bargaining status.

Next steps: staff agreed to return with additional information, including membership numbers for the Progressive Firefighters and more detailed administrative thresholds and implementation details for any administrative rules the CFO would apply. The item remains held pending further information and possible additional referrals.