City of Atlanta releases Employee Bill of Rights
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens released his administration's first Employee Bill of Rights this week.
It outlines how employees should handle investigations.
It also clarifies their right to appeal decisions or challenge subpoenas from the Ethics Office or the Inspector General's Office.
'Consistent with my fourth pillar of Ethical and Effective government, the creation of the Bill of Rights will help all employees understand their rights within the City,' Dickens said. 'As an advocate for—and someone who worked directly on—both the creation of the Office of Inspector General and the City's Department of Labor, the accompanying guide balances transparency and accountability for the City's public servants, while making clear their rights and responsibilities.'
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
TRENDING STORIES:
'Armed and dangerous' shooting suspect could be in Atlanta
Fulton deputies make drug bust after pulling over man for not wearing his seatbelt
'They've been fumbled too many times:' Atlanta's unhoused face warming center challenges
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Senate Readies Tax Bill for Vote as Holdouts Threaten Delay
(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump's tax-and-spending agenda is nearing a climactic vote in the Senate this week in the wake of air strikes on Iran, which risk embroiling the US in a prolonged Middle East conflict. Bezos Wedding Draws Protests, Soul-Searching Over Tourism in Venice One Architect's Quest to Save Mumbai's Heritage From Disappearing NYC Congestion Toll Cuts Manhattan Gridlock by 25%, RPA Reports Trump's $4.2 trillion tax-cut package, partially offset by social safety-net reductions, does not yet have the support it needs to pass the Senate. Fiscal hawks seeking to lower the bill's total price tag are at odds with Republicans worried about cuts to Medicaid health coverage for their constituents and phase-outs to green energy incentives that support jobs in their states. Finessing a deal to line up the votes will require focus — and a bit of arm-twisting — from Trump, who is juggling both a pivotal week for his domestic agenda alongside a highly uncertain situation in Iran following the US strikes. Trump on Sunday, as US officials and foreign leaders were still digesting what the attacks on Iranian nuclear sites will mean for Middle East stability, urged members of his party to swiftly pass the tax bill. 'Great unity in the Republican Party, perhaps unity like we have never seen before. Now let's get the Great, Big, Beautiful Bill done. Our Country is doing GREAT,' Trump said on social media. Senate Republicans plan to begin the multi-step process to vote on Trump's tax and spending cut bill mid-week, setting up final passage in the latter half of the week or over the weekend. That timeline would allow the House to vote on the latest version next week and meet Trump's goal of enacting his signature bill by July 4. Meeting that ambitious deadline will require senators to quickly negotiate resolutions to a series of thorny policy issues that have divided Republicans for weeks. Senate Majority Leader John Thune must balance demands by fiscal conservatives for deeper spending cuts with qualms from moderate Republicans concerned the bill goes too far in making people ineligible for Medicaid and cutting funding for rural hospitals. Renewable energy incentives continue to divide the party as well, with some conservatives pushing for a faster phase-out of tax breaks for wind, solar, nuclear, geothermal and hydrogen. Other senators are angling to keep the breaks in place for projects that have already begun. Senators will also find themselves in talks with some of their House counterparts over the state and local tax, or SALT, deduction. The Senate bill would keep the current $10,000 cap in place, while the House-passed version would raise it to $40,000. Several House members from high-tax states, including New York, New Jersey and California, have threatened to block the bill if it doesn't include a $40,000 SALT cap. The Senate has some negotiating room to increase the SALT cap. The bill, per Senate rules, can lose up to $1.5 trillion over a decade. But a new estimate from the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation, found the legislation only costs $441 billion over ten years — after deploying a budget gimmick that assumes the $3.8 trillion cost of extending Trump's first-term tax cuts cost nothing. Rules Battles Democrats are locked out of the deal-making, with Trump able to pass his agenda on Republican votes alone. But they have been able to use arcane Senate rules to successfully challenge and strike some provisions from the bill if the Senate parliamentarian declares the measures aren't sufficiently related to taxes, spending or the budget. The parliamentarian blocked a provision that would make it harder for judges to hold Trump administration officials in contempt for failing to abide by rulings. Democrats were able to eliminate measures that would curb some Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. Provisions to strip funding from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and cut Federal Reserve employee salaries were also tossed out. Late Sunday Democrats announced Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough had thrown out provisions related to the federal workforce, including a plan scaling back civil service protections for federal workers and a measure that would allow the president to eliminate agencies without approval from Congress. She also ruled that a provision forcing the US Postal Service to sell off all its electric vehicles must be removed from the bill. The parliamentarian has permitted Republicans to use the bill to pressure states not to regulate artificial intelligence by denying them funding for broadband Internet projects. That's a watered-down version of a House proposal that would have blocked states from issuing AI regulations. That plan drew bipartisan criticism for overstepping states' authority. Democrats are also seeking to remove the Section 899 'revenge tax' on companies domiciled in countries with 'unfair' tax regimes. That provision has stoked fears on Wall Street of capital flight from the US. That parliamentarian ruling could be released as soon as Monday. The tax bill is the core of Trump's economic agenda combined into a 'big, beautiful bill.' The Senate version makes permanent individual and business tax breaks enacted in 2017, while adding new breaks for tipped and overtime workers, seniors and car-buyers. The bill would allow hundreds of billions of dollars in new spending for the military, border patrol and immigration enforcement. To partly pay for the revenue losses, the bill imposes new work and cost-sharing requirements for Medicaid and food stamps while cutting aid to students. The measure would also avert a US payment default as soon as August by raising the debt ceiling by $5 trillion. (Updates with additional parliamentarian decisions.) Luxury Counterfeiters Keep Outsmarting the Makers of $10,000 Handbags Is Mark Cuban the Loudmouth Billionaire that Democrats Need for 2028? Ken Griffin on Trump, Harvard and Why Novice Investors Won't Beat the Pros The US Has More Copper Than China But No Way to Refine All of It Can 'MAMUWT' Be to Musk What 'TACO' Is to Trump? ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Sign in to access your portfolio
Axios
7 hours ago
- Axios
Beltline grows: New trail segment connects Westside
The Atlanta Beltline's new Westside Trail segment opens today, giving pedestrians and bicyclists nearly 7 miles of pavement — the longest uninterrupted stretch of the project's popular path system — to roam. Driving the news: On Monday afternoon, Mayor Andre Dickens and Beltline officials will cut the ribbon on the 1.3-mile trail segment connecting Washington Park to Grove Park. Why it matters: The trail hooks up with a Beltline spur trail that travels through English Avenue and ends at the Georgia World Congress Center, giving trail users a safe, off-street route to major events. The path also continues to the north toward Huff Road and Blandtown, and then further into Buckhead. Context: The trail crosses the future Valley of the Hawks green infrastructure project in the Bankhead neighborhood and abuts the 31-acre Beltline-owned property that could become housing, retail and more. Yes, and: It also creates Beltline access for the 90-acre Grove Park property Microsoft purchased in 2021 for a massive office center. The tech giant halted that plan in February 2023 and has kept mum ever since. A spokesperson for Mayor Andre Dickens told Axios the city "will have something to say regarding Microsoft in the very near future. Discussions are ongoing." State of play: ABI's board of directors this past week approved the nonprofit's $242 million budget for 2026, Rough Draft reports.
Fast Company
3 days ago
- Fast Company
3 ways brands can win back consumer confidence
'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.' Those words written by Charles Dickens are surprisingly on point, despite the author being dead for well over a century. We continue to live in febrile and perplexing times with many of us expecting to see all four horses of the apocalypse over the horizon at any time. Confidence, so central to people's willingness to spend, is at best fragile. Our two biggest global economies—the United States and China—are on the back foot and we're all feeling the impact. As consumers, we're increasingly resentful, angry, and ready to withhold our hard-earned cash. Not only has people's trust in many institutions diminished in recent years, according to a recent study conducted in 28 countries, a staggering 61% of those surveyed hold grievances against government, business, and the wealthy due to perceived inequalities and unfairness. The list of causes for people's concerns is growing fast—from geopolitics to the cost-of-living crisis, misinformation and disinformation, bad actors, and the dizzying speed of technological change, including the rapid rise of AI, to name just a few. Also growing is the need for a marketplace response, specifically from the brands and organizations that are the primary drivers of action, and in which consumers still invest a degree of trust. What brands need to do Brands should listen, empathize, and demonstrate, not just with words, but with tangible actions that they understand their customers and can support them in achieving what they want. However, in today's challenging climate this might not be enough. When consumers are feeling so aggrieved, I see three actions that can help brands move consumer sentiment in a more positive direction. Make the first move, however small In challenging times, an entrenched position can seem appealing. Yet an 'I'm right, you're wrong, you don't understand' defensive mindset often brings inertia. When the company makes the first move and bends a little, it can be easier to move things forward. For example, in 2018, KFC's UK operation almost collapsed when it ran out of chicken. The company's FCK campaign made international news; to make amends, KFC ran an apology ad rearranging the letters of its name to spell out 'FCK' on a chicken bucket. This response, which harnessed humility, humor, and honesty, was well-received and showed how timely communication and gestures can make all the difference. Contextual adaptability is more valuable than ever, especially as younger audiences gravitate toward brands rooted in community and co-creation. Transparency matters, but what truly sets brands apart today is how they respond and adapt once the reactions start kicking in. That is where real connection and loyalty are built. Duolingo recently faced backlash over its new 'AI-first policy,' which clashed with the human touch users expect from the category, and especially from such a personality-driven brand. While transparency was a good start, their response —deleting posts and posting a tone-deaf attempt at humor—came off as insincere and dismissive. What was missing was genuine openness and willingness to adapt. By listening to feedback and engaging with users' concerns, Duolingo could have turned criticism into a chance to build trust and further strengthen their cult-like following. Demonstrate you understand what matters A key pillar of conflict resolution is demonstrating that you understand what matters. It's also a central component of brand building—–and one that's even more important at a time when customers are rife with anger and resentment. Showing empathy in difficult times does more than offer immediate reassurance, it creates a powerful ripple effect. Seen optimistically, it is a rare opportunity for brands to earn lasting customer loyalty and brand resonance. Today, technology enables an unprecedented array of ways to leverage greater customer personalization to demonstrate a brand's appetite to serve and move things forward in audience-relevant ways. IKEA, for example, leverages data and consumer research to support their customers through the cost-of-living crisis. They actively work to make products more affordable to match local and individual tastes. They also track visits and clicks on their online store to ensure they manage the price reductions while keeping an eye on their own long-term financial sustainability. In addition, their knack for quickly bringing trends like dopamine décor, kidulting, and bed-rotting to life in their stores helps them connect with their audiences, providing them with some much-needed joy and comfort, while times feel bleak. Create a sense of togetherness It takes time to ease frayed nerves, misconceptions, and mistrust. Great storytelling and tone are tangible markers of a company's commitment to its customers. Volvo's recent EX90 For Life ad, which imagines how an unborn child's future could be erased without the brand's groundbreaking safety technology, is a human story universally relatable, yet directly brand-relevant. It powerfully demonstrates how finding and cultivating points of connection with your customer are the secret to building, maintaining, and energizing any productive relationship with consumers. Engaging, uniting, and connecting is central to us as humans and necessary to build and re-build trust. The same applies to brands and the businesses behind them. Geopolitics and economic volatility are beyond any single business's control. Yet, in the current climate, brands that bear down on each interaction and experience at every touchpoint will move consumer sentiment onto more positive ground.
