Meet Brian McAllister

Customer Service Specialist, Office of Finance

AFSCME 3090 member Brian McAllister, 46, is in the business of helping local businesses. In his post as a customer service specialist for the City’s Office of Finance, he helps facilitate registration and permitting for a wide array of Los Angeles businesses.

Working out of his department’s downtown office, McAllister handles a high volume of inbound customer calls explaining business tax ordinance, sends out correspondence of tax notices due and distributes copies of business tax certificates – you know, those placards businesses have up on the walls.

Much like the businesses he supports, McAllister thrives in a customer service environment. “I have many years of customer service experience under my belt,” he said. “That’s my niche, if you will. I also like the opportunity to help the business taxpayers to be of service to our constituents.”

How do Angelenos benefit from business taxes? Well, McAllister and his cohorts at the Office of Finance collect business taxes, which help fund the city’s emergency services, including the fire and police departments. “We’re a very integral department,” McAllister said. “Without us, the revenue wouldn’t be collected and there wouldn’t be money for those key departments that really help people.”

Despite being relatively new to Local 3090, McAllister has big ambitions for his membership. He hopes to become a union steward in short order and is currently on the waiting list.

“I want that to be my way of giving back,” he said. “I’ve always worked in union jobs so I know that without the union I wouldn’t have a good paying job, the nice benefits that us city employees have.”

When he’s not swamped with calls at the office, you can find McAllister at a Cineplex or curled up on the couch at his North Hollywood home reading. Right now, he’s on a vampire kick, specifically Anne Rice’s “The Vampire Chronicles” series.