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Houston firefighters, mayor meet to discuss implementation of Prop B

By FOX 26 Houston staff
FOX 26 Houston
News
Published April 12, 2019 1:46 PM CDT
Published April 12, 2019 1:46 PM CDT
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HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Houston firefighters and Mayor Sylvester Turner met face-to-face to discuss the implementation of Proposition B on Friday morning.

According to the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association, the letter following letter signed by HPFFA President Patrick M. “Marty” Lancton regarding future negotiations was provided to the mayor after the meeting:

Dear Mayor Turner,

Following our meeting today, this letter confirms our willingness to take to our membership your proposal to implement Proposition B over three and a half years, subject to the following conditions:

  1. Any agreement with the City of Houston, subject to the final approval of the HPFFA membership, would be ratified thru a CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement);
  2. Based on provision to us by the City of complete access to City financial and budget information, the City will implement complete parity with HPD, including both base pay and incentives, and;
  3. The City agrees that no firefighter layoffs or reduction of fire and EMS services would occur before, during or after implementation of Proposition B.

We await your response,

Yours truly,

Patrick M. “Marty” Lancton

In response, Mayor Sylvester Turner sent this letter to Lancton:

Dear Marty:

I invited you to meet with me today to discuss phasing in Prop B. We talked about possible common ground, and we agreed to meet again next week to allow the City to do some additional work.

At the end of our meeting, you delivered a copy of a letter. I now know that you had prepared and publicized the letter before our meeting, without the benefit of our discussion. The letter is not consistent with our discussions.

While I think such "tactics" are not helpful, I will nevertheless be prepared to meet again next week.

I hope you will refrain from further steps that will undermine my effort to find common ground.

As I have said repeatedly, I do not want to lay off anyone. This requires your agreement on a path forward that the City can afford.

Sincerely,

Sylvester Turner,
Mayor