Hazard pay ends for Atlanta’s frontline employees

The more than 5,000 frontline employees working for the city of Atlanta will no longer receive the additional hazard pay put in place at the start of the pandemic.

The City Council on Tuesday ratified an executive order from Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms that ended the hazard pay policy on July 1.

Bottoms first instituted hazard pay for 5,400 employees who worked on the frontlines — including police and firefighters, solid waste workers and parks and recreation staff — in March 2020. They received an additional $500 per month in hazard pay for working in person during the pandemic.

The order was in effect on a month-to-month basis, until a COVID-19 vaccine was available to city employees and the city resumed in-person office operations for non-critical workers, Bottoms’ order stated.

As cases declined locally and vaccination rates increased, Atlanta entered Phase 4 of its coronavirus reopening plan in June, which allowed city employees to return to government buildings. City Hall is set to reopen to the public next month, according to a mayor’s office official.

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