City of Birmingham Employees Could Receive One-Time Premium Pay

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2021/06/City_Council_June_1_2021-e1622578632661.png
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:1240;s:6:"height";i:697;s:4:"file";s:51:"2021/06/City_Council_June_1_2021-e1622578632661.png";s:5:"sizes";a:15:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:51:"City_Council_June_1_2021-e1622578632661-336x189.png";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:189;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:5:"large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:51:"City_Council_June_1_2021-e1622578632661-771x433.png";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:433;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:51:"City_Council_June_1_2021-e1622578632661-140x140.png";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:12:"medium_large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:51:"City_Council_June_1_2021-e1622578632661-768x432.png";s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:432;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:49:"City_Council_June_1_2021-e1622578632661-80x80.png";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:51:"City_Council_June_1_2021-e1622578632661-800x450.png";s:5:"width";i:800;s:6:"height";i:450;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:51:"City_Council_June_1_2021-e1622578632661-600x600.png";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:51:"City_Council_June_1_2021-e1622578632661-553x311.png";s:5:"width";i:553;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:51:"City_Council_June_1_2021-e1622578632661-470x265.png";s:5:"width";i:470;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:51:"City_Council_June_1_2021-e1622578632661-125x125.png";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:27:"web-stories-poster-portrait";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:51:"City_Council_June_1_2021-e1622578632661-640x697.png";s:5:"width";i:640;s:6:"height";i:697;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:28:"web-stories-poster-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:51:"City_Council_June_1_2021-e1622578632661-853x640.png";s:5:"width";i:853;s:6:"height";i:640;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:25:"web-stories-poster-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:51:"City_Council_June_1_2021-e1622578632661-640x640.png";s:5:"width";i:640;s:6:"height";i:640;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:26:"web-stories-publisher-logo";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:49:"City_Council_June_1_2021-e1622578632661-96x96.png";s:5:"width";i:96;s:6:"height";i:96;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:21:"web-stories-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:50:"City_Council_June_1_2021-e1622578632661-150x84.png";s:5:"width";i:150;s:6:"height";i:84;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => The Birmingham City Council Facebook Page
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_wp_attachment_image_alt] => Array
        (
            [0] => Councilor Valerie Abbott joined other council members for the weekly city council meeting.
        )

    [_wp_attachment_backup_sizes] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:16:{s:9:"full-orig";a:3:{s:5:"width";i:1240;s:6:"height";i:700;s:4:"file";s:28:"City_Council_June_1_2021.png";}s:14:"thumbnail-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:36:"City_Council_June_1_2021-140x140.png";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:11:"medium-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:36:"City_Council_June_1_2021-336x190.png";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:190;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:17:"medium_large-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:36:"City_Council_June_1_2021-768x434.png";s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:434;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:10:"large-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:36:"City_Council_June_1_2021-771x435.png";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:435;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:14:"wbhm-icon-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:34:"City_Council_June_1_2021-80x80.png";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:36:"City_Council_June_1_2021-800x450.png";s:5:"width";i:800;s:6:"height";i:450;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:25:"wbhm-featured-square-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:36:"City_Council_June_1_2021-600x600.png";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:23:"wbhm-featured-home-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:36:"City_Council_June_1_2021-551x311.png";s:5:"width";i:551;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:27:"wbhm-featured-carousel-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:36:"City_Council_June_1_2021-470x265.png";s:5:"width";i:470;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:19:"post-thumbnail-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:36:"City_Council_June_1_2021-125x125.png";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:32:"web-stories-poster-portrait-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:36:"City_Council_June_1_2021-640x700.png";s:5:"width";i:640;s:6:"height";i:700;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:33:"web-stories-poster-landscape-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:36:"City_Council_June_1_2021-853x640.png";s:5:"width";i:853;s:6:"height";i:640;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:30:"web-stories-poster-square-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:36:"City_Council_June_1_2021-640x640.png";s:5:"width";i:640;s:6:"height";i:640;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:31:"web-stories-publisher-logo-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:34:"City_Council_June_1_2021-96x96.png";s:5:"width";i:96;s:6:"height";i:96;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:26:"web-stories-thumbnail-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:35:"City_Council_June_1_2021-150x85.png";s:5:"width";i:150;s:6:"height";i:85;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}}
        )

)
1655250237 
1622560658

The Birmingham City Council approved a one-time premium payment to all 3,500 city employees on Tuesday, as a thank you for their work during the coronavirus pandemic.

Full-time employees could receive $5,000 and part-time employees $2,500.

“I think that we have very deserving employees that worked hard. I think that we owe this to them. I mean without them — the employees — the city is pretty much nothing,” Councilor Valerie Abbott said at the meeting, where the measure passed unanimously.

The premium pay is part of the Magic City Recovery Plan, more than $140 million dedicated to relieve city employees, citizens and infrastructure and funded by the Biden Administration’s American Rescue Plan.

On its recovery website, the city has detailed its priorities for the plan: “seeing us through the COVID-19 health crisis, getting our workers and students back on their feet, doubling down on our commitments to neighborhood revitalization and small and Black-owned businesses, and partnering with the community on creative solutions to pressing challenges like public safety.”

The one-time payments are in addition to the 1.5% cost of living pay increase that Mayor Randall Woodfin announced last month in his 2021-2022 budget proposal.

“No matter the challenge, your continued service and commitment to the City of Birmingham has never wavered,” Woodfin wrote in a letter to all city employees. “You worked through unforeseen obstacles, constantly adjusted and adapted, and maintained the high level of service that our community expects.”

Before employees can receive those funds, the Jefferson County Personnel Board has to approve them. If approved at the board’s meeting next week, the payout will be sent to employees by June 25.

“I know this council has been advocating for the employees since day one,” said Councilor Crystal Smitherman. “I just want to make sure we continue to take care of our employees during this pandemic.”

Letter From Mayor Woodfin 5… by WBHM News

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story said that city employees “will receive” one-time premium pay. It has been updated to say “could receive.”

 

Israel says it killed 9 Iranian nuclear scientists, and braces for attacks from Iran

Israel's military says the nine nuclear scientists killed played spent decades working on Iran's nuclear program.

Can’t-miss interviews: Gavin Newsom, Dave Portnoy and Jason Reynolds

A lot happened this week, and NPR has you covered. Catch up on the big news and culture moments you might have missed.

Minnesota state lawmaker killed, another wounded in targeted shootings

A former Minnesota House speaker and her husband were killed and a state senator and his wife were wounded in targeted shootings early Saturday at their homes near Minneapolis, officials said.

10 years after the deadly church shooting, a new history of ‘Mother Emanuel’

Reporter Kevin Sack's new book is a history of Charleston's Emanuel AME Church, the oldest Black congregation in the South, where a white supremacist killed nine worshippers a decade ago.

In one of the nation’s most polluted communities, Trump terminates funding for air monitoring

Residents in majority-Black north Birmingham have long been subjected to industrial pollution. The new administration has cut funding for a program aimed at measuring the impact.

We’re all going to die. What now? ‘The Life of Chuck’ sits with this question

Tom Hiddleston stars in the new adaptation of Stephen King's novella — which is somehow a very sweet film about the inevitable approach of death.

More Birmingham City Council Coverage