Richmond police officers, firefighters and City Hall employees have moved a step closer to having labor unions.

Almost unnoticed at the final December meeting, City Council approved a resolution supporting Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s decision to hire attorney Keith D. Greenberg as the new labor relations administrator for the city.

A veteran mediator and arbitrator based in Maryland, Mr. Greenberg will work part-time and be paid a fee of $350 an hour for taking on the role, according to the resolution.

His first task is to issue rules for holding elections for employees to select a bargaining agent to begin contract negotiations with the Stoney administration.

At this point, the Richmond Coalition of Police and Local 995 of the International Association of Fire Fighters have filed the required paperwork and are waiting to be officially recognized.

Their elections could be held by the spring, with the first collective bargaining expected to begin in the summer, with a potential impact on the 2023-24 city budget.

Three other bargaining units have been authorized, one for labor and trades employees, one for professional and administrative employees and one for technical employees. The status of bargaining units for those workers remains unclear.

Mr. Greenberg is well known in the field and handles labor relations for numerous clients, including governments. He serves on the board of governors of the National Academy of Arbitrators and also is listed on panels and rosters for the American Arbitration Association, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the Labor Relations Connection and the National Mediation Board.

Currently, Richmond Public Schools is the only entity in the city with an active union, the Richmond Education Association, for its bargaining units. As the Free Press reported last week, the initial contracts for the RPS employees have been negotiated and are expected to impact the budget proposal that Superintendent Jason Kamras is to present later this month.