Firefighter pay fight gets court date for final showdown

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The City of Houston and its firefighters are just months away from a final showdown over long running legal issues regarding pay and collective bargaining rights.

Friday morning, the Supreme Court of Texas combined two cases in which the City of Houston, the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association and the Houston Police Officers’ Union disagree about how firefighter pay should be set.

One case questions collective bargaining; the other the legality of a 2018 voter-approved pay parity amendment known as Proposition B. When Prop B passed, it was to set firefighter pay at the same amounts as a similarly ranked police officer. The police officers’ union sued to stop that.

Houston police officers, who have higher salaries than Houston firefighters, objected to linking their salaries to that of firefighters, who have negotiated their contracts in the past.

After years of fighting in court, it now appears this final showdown will decide the issue for the city. Oral arguments are set for November 29, 2022. A decision is likely to happen in early 2023.

If justices decide the cases in favor of the firefighters, they could be owed millions in raises and back pay. It is money the city has said in the past it cannot easily pay. It is likely that by the time a court decision is entered, current Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner will be in his final months as mayor.

It is unclear what would happen if the city or union prevails. Houston firefighters have been without a contract since June 2017. The city implemented raises without a new contract or collective bargaining in 2021.