ATLANTA — Police and firefighters launched a billboard campaign blasting the mayor of Atlanta after being passed over in a recent pay increase for city workers.
CBS46 reported that the campaign, which blasts Mayor Kasim Reed, is on a billboard that says, “Mayor Kasim Reed does not care about public safety.”
The police and firefighters union want the mayor to give them raises, according to the report.
“Most of us work two or three jobs just to pay our bills,” said Stephen Borders, president of the firefighters union. “We didn’t get in to get rich, but we need to be able to take care of our families.”
The mayor says he won’t budge.
“I can’t, on the one hand, award a group of individuals who are suing for $50 million that we may have to pay and then, on the other hand, give them a pay raise the city will have to pay forever,” Reed said.
Mayor Reed said he won’t give out raises because the unions are suing Atlanta, claiming the city wants them to pay too much toward their benefits, according to the report.