Upgrading the 911 office in Atlanta

ATLANTA - A union leader in Atlanta said the 911 communications office is dangerously short-staffed.

There are an estimated forty-five positions unfilled. The PACE union asked city council members to check the conditions inside that office.

There has been turnover at the management level as well as on the desks.

Without enough workers to consistently man all shifts, citizens have been kept waiting to speak to a call taker.

Gina Pagnotta Murphy, the president of PACE, appealed to city leaders to compensate the workers in line with a first responder designation.

And now that has happened.

The council at its meeting upgraded salaries from $3,000 to $5,000 annually. It also reclassified some of the positions to allow for potential promotions.

"It's been a long battle but we got it done," said Pagnotta Murphy. "I thank the city council."

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