The City of San Antonio and a local fire union have reportedly reached an agreement to engage in mediation later this month before former Supreme Court of Texas Justice Deborah Hankinson. During mediation, the City and the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association will attempt to resolve an ongoing dispute regarding firefighter pay and healthcare benefits. If the two parties are unable to resolve their differences following mediation, binding arbitration may be required.
Last fall, San Antonio voters approved a measure, Proposition C, which allows the fire union “to declare an impasse at any time and send the talks to binding arbitration.” Additionally, the parties may reach an impasse requiring arbitration under Texas law.
According to mySA.com:
The two sides will meet April 17 and April 18 with former Texas Supreme Court Justice Deborah Hankinson, who presided over court-ordered mediation between the two sides in 2017.
It’s not clear whether the sessions will be public.
“We are encouraged the fire union accepted our proposal for mediation,” City Attorney Andy Segovia said Sunday. “By involving a neutral third party, we have a better opportunity to reach a resolution that is fair to both our firefighters and our taxpayers.”
It will be interesting to see whether the City of San Antonio and the fire union resolve their benefits dispute via mediation or must ultimately move on to binding arbitration proceedings.
Photo by: Daniel Tausis on Unsplash
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