ATLANTA – Mayor Kasim Reed announced today that City of Atlanta employees with 10 or more years of service will receive a longevity bonus in time for the Christmas holiday. The bonuses, starting at $200 for an employee with ten years of service, $350 for 15 years of service, $500 for a 20-year employee, and $750 for an employee with 25 or more years, will appear on paychecks scheduled for deposit on Wednesday, December 23.
“I am pleased to recognize those employees who have served our city and its residents for a decade or longer with this special bonus,” said Mayor Reed. “The City of Atlanta has significantly improved its operational effectiveness, and our employees make this success possible. I hope this bonus will help make this Christmas a bit brighter for our deserving staff.”
The bonuses are awarded through legislation created in collaboration with the Atlanta City Council and approved by the Mayor in May of this year.
A longevity bonus is an incentive used to recognize and reward long-term service of employees to the city; all employees become eligible for a longevity bonus the month after their anniversary month of employment.
Since Mayor Reed’s inauguration in January 2010, public safety personnel and city employees have received nine salary increases. In January 2011, sworn officers in the Atlanta Police Department (APD) and the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department received a full step pay increase of 3.5 percent, the first full step increase granted since 2007. In 2013, sworn personnel received two additional pay increases, for a total of 5.5 percent in increases. Within the last 60 days, Mayor Reed addressed the long-standing issue of compression within the ranks of Lieutenant and Sergeant in the APD by creating a new three-tier salary schedule. The Administration worked with various employee groups and union representatives to develop this approach.
The Reed Administration has consistently made significant investments in employee compensation and benefits. In the midst of the worst economic recession in 80 years, the Administration eliminated furloughs and layoffs citywide, built the largest fire department to date and eliminated staffing shortages on fire trucks, brought the city’s police force to 2,000 officers for the first time in the department’s history, and restored command staff at the city jail. Earlier this year, Mayor Reed made the City of Atlanta the first local government in the state to offer up to six weeks’ paid parental leave for primary caregivers and up to two weeks for secondary caregivers.
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