Tag Archives: collective bargaining agreement

City reaches collective bargaining agreement with HOPE

Posted on September 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Houston municipal workers will get raises of 12.5 percent over three years under a tentative contract announced by the mayor and union officials Monday. Under the proposal, all employees will receive an additional $116 per pay period, about $3,000 … Continue reading →

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Firefighter deal certified and approved

Posted on June 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

That’s that. Houston City Council approved the $1.5 billion settlement and labor contract with the city firefighters union on Wednesday, a deal that now forces Mayor John Whitmire to quickly find new sources of revenue to help pay for it. … Continue reading →

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Controller Hollins has not certified the firefighter deal yet

Posted on June 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering. Hours after Mayor John Whitmire told City Council members on Friday that Controller Chris Hollins plans to certify the mayor’s landmark contract with the Houston firefighters union, Hollins walked back that claim, saying his review … Continue reading →

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Council approves bond deal for firefighter back pay

Posted on June 13, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This is a big component of the firefighter pay deal, just not the whole thing. Houston City Council approved Wednesday a historic bond deal, estimated to cost taxpayers over $1 billion, to spread $650 million in backpay to firefighters over … Continue reading →

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Hollins not ready to certify firefighters’ deal

Posted on June 12, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Welp. The proposed $1.5 billion settlement and labor contract with the Houston firefighters union appears unlikely to be certified in time for Wednesday’s scheduled City Council vote because a lengthy list of questions Controller Chris Hollins sent Mayor John Whitmire … Continue reading →

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Firefighter deal details released

Posted on June 6, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Just in time for the start of budget talks. A proposed settlement between Mayor John Whitmire and the city’s firefighters union could result in major changes to the Houston Fire Department beyond the deal’s $1.5 billion cost. Under the terms … Continue reading →

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Firefighter settlement officially approved

Posted on May 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The legalities are mostly over, but there are still a bunch of items to handle. A state district court judge has signed off on a settlement between the city of Houston and the firefighter union, clearing one obstacle for a … Continue reading →

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What could it have cost for the firefighters?

Posted on May 7, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

City Controller Chris Hollins throws out some numbers and kicks up a fuss. Houston Controller Chris Hollins faced fierce criticism from firefighters union president Marty Lancton, after estimating that equalizing past pay for Houston firefighters with their peers in other … Continue reading →

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City workers gear up for their next contract

Posted on April 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Believe it or not, the city has employees who are not with the police or the fire department, and they like earning a decent salary, too. Houston’s municipal employees union, HOPE AFSCME Local 123, is expected to begin its contract … Continue reading →

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Controller Hollins puts firefighter settlement tab at up to $1.3 billion

Posted on March 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

That’s once you factor in interest payments over the life of the bonds that will be issued to cover this. Houston Mayor John Whitmire’s proposed settlement with the firefighters union could cost significantly more than previously advertised, City Controller Chris … Continue reading →

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We return to the question of “how will we pay for the firefighter agreement” question

Posted on March 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna keep asking it until we get a full answer. Mayor John Whitmire’s administration is weighing all options, including hiking the city’s property tax rate and charging residents a garbage collection fee, to help pay for its landmark settlement with … Continue reading →

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We’ll see what City Council makes of the firefighter pay agreement

Posted on March 20, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a bit of pushback happening. Mayor John Whitmire’s administration and officials from the Houston firefighters union are hoping to get final approval in May or June on a massive settlement deal to end their nearly decade-long contract stalemate. The … Continue reading →

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Price tag for firefighter back pay revealed

Posted on March 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Mayor John Whitmire and the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association announced today a historic deal to end an eight-year impasse. The $650 million settlement to finally resolve the city’s looming liability addresses longstanding pay issues dating back … Continue reading →

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Firefighter back pay update

Posted on March 1, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Just tell me what the bill’s gonna be. The city of Houston and its firefighters are nearing an agreement to resolve their bitter, yearslong pay dispute, with specifics expected to take additional weeks or months to finalize, according to city … Continue reading →

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Mayor Whitmire working with the firefighters

Posted on February 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see what we get. In another step toward settling its years-long conflict with the city, the firefighters union met with Mayor John Whitmire’s administration [last] Friday morning to discuss the city’s first proposal for raises and back pay, with … Continue reading →

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Mayor Whitmire orders negotiations with the firefighters

Posted on January 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

New regime, new directions. In a major step toward reconciliation with the firefighters union, Mayor John Whitmire has asked the city attorney to drop an appeal that former Mayor Sylvester Turner’s administration filed just days before the change in city … Continue reading →

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City ordered to negotiate a contract with the firefighters

Posted on December 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

A day of reckoning is arriving. The city of Houston and the firefighters union are sparring over who bears responsibility for their years-long legal battle, following a judge’s request for them to start renegotiating the firefighters’ contracts within the next … Continue reading →

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SCOTx rules for city on pay parity, for firefighters on collective bargaining

Posted on April 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to approach this one at first via dueling press releases. First, from the HPFFA: The Supreme Court of Texas has ruled that the City of Houston violated the state constitution in refusing to honor voter-approved fair pay and … Continue reading →

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MLB reaches tentative CBA with minor leaguers

Posted on April 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Impressive. Minor league baseball players and Major League Baseball struck a tentative deal Wednesday on the first collective bargaining agreement between the sides that will more than double player pay and represents the largest-ever gains in the rights of minor … Continue reading →

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Mayor Turner’s final year

Posted on January 3, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The big local political story, besides whatever violence the Legislature commits to Houston and/or Harris County, will be the 2023 Mayor’s race. The incumbent still has a full year to go, though, and he has his plans for what he … Continue reading →

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SCOTx hears firefighter pay parity arguments

Posted on November 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Lots at stake here. More than four years after Houston voters approved a measure that would grant firefighters equal pay with police officers, the legal battle to decide the referendum’s fate landed Tuesday in the hands of the Supreme Court of Texas. The … Continue reading →

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MLB to recognize MLBPA representation of minor leaguers

Posted on September 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association on Saturday finalized a card-check agreement expected to formalize the league recognizing the union as the bargaining representative for a unit of minor league players in excess of 5,000 members, sources … Continue reading →

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MLBPA seeks to represent minor leaguers

Posted on August 31, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good to see, though there are some questions that will need to be answered. The Major League Baseball Players Association took an initial step toward unionizing the minor leagues Sunday night, sending out authorization cards that will allow minor league … Continue reading →

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MLB’s Canadian conundrum

Posted on March 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s an interesting wrinkle to the recently-resolved MLB lockout. With the Major League Baseball season set to start, unvaccinated players will once again need to sit out series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Players who haven’t been … Continue reading →

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MLB ends its lockout

Posted on March 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

One small bit of good news. Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association reached a tentative agreement on a new collective-bargaining agreement Thursday, ending the league’s 99-day lockout of the players and salvaging a 162-game season, sources familiar with … Continue reading →

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Appeals court overturns verdict in firefighter pay parity lawsuit

Posted on July 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. An appeals court on Thursday reversed a ruling that declared Houston firefighters’ pay-parity measure unconstitutional, a major win for the fire union and one that could have far-reaching effects on city finances. The fire union won approval of a … Continue reading →

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City appeals firefighter collective bargaining case to Supreme Court

Posted on June 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. The city of Houston on Monday asked the Texas Supreme Court to weigh in on a recent appellate court ruling that rejected Mayor Sylvester Turner’s attempt to strike down a key provision of state law governing how … Continue reading →

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Firefighters score a win in court

Posted on May 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I confess, I had forgotten about this. A panel of appellate court judges on Thursday rejected the city’s attempt to strike down a key provision of state law that governs how police and firefighters negotiate their wages and benefits, dealing … Continue reading →

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Give reformers a seat at the police collective bargaining table

Posted on July 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is a clear path forward. Chas Moore watched in shock one night in 2017 as Austin City Council voted on the city’s proposed police contract. He and other criminal justice reformers had spent months observing contract negotiations and lobbying … Continue reading →

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We’re going to get the default MLB season

Posted on June 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. The Major League Baseball Players Association asked MLB to set a schedule for the 2020 season rather than counter the latest return-to-play proposal by the league, setting the stage for MLB to implement a significantly shortened schedule and deepening … Continue reading →

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Here’s the MLB season-starter proposal

Posted on May 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Make of it what you will. Major League Baseball owners gave the go-ahead Monday to making a proposal to the players’ union that could lead to the coronavirus-delayed season starting around the Fourth of July weekend in ballparks without fans, … Continue reading →

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“No confidence”

Posted on September 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The latest from the firefighters. Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña will face a “no confidence” vote by members of the city’s fire union over what nearly 100 district chiefs say has been a lack of leadership and a failure to … Continue reading →

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No arbitration

Posted on May 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

And we’re on to the next phase of the firefighter pay battle. The Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association on Tuesday asked Mayor Sylvester Turner to enter arbitration to settle its ongoing labor dispute with the city, a request the mayor … Continue reading →

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Prop B ruled unconstitutional

Posted on May 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, my. A state district judge on Wednesday ruled Proposition B, the voter-approved measure that grants Houston firefighters the same pay as police of corresponding rank and seniority, unconstitutional and void. The ruling came in a lawsuit brought in November … Continue reading →

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