Tag Archives: HPFFA

City to sue over mandatory arbitration law

Posted on June 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Add it to what is likely to be a substantive list. Houston city attorneys said Monday they plan to challenge the constitutionality of a new Texas law that gives Houston firefighters mandatory arbitration in their long-running contract stalemate. Lowell Denton, … 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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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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Mayor Turner orders unvaxxed city employees to get tested twice a week

Posted on September 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

So maybe get vaccinated, and avoid all the hassle. Unvaccinated city workers must get tested for COVID-19 twice a month and report their results to the human resources department, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Wednesday. Turner signed an executive order implementing … Continue reading →

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The charter referendum will be in 2023

Posted on August 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

So be it. The organizations and residents who petitioned the city to give City Council members more power will have to wait until 2023 to vote on the measure, after the council declined to put it on this year’s ballot. … 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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Council will decide when charter amendment votes will be

Posted on July 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Fine, but they should be this year. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday promised to bring a charter amendment petition to City Council before a key August deadline to order an election for this year. A diverse coalition of groups, including … Continue reading →

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Charter amendment referendum likely #2 on its way

Posted on July 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Pending signature verification. The Houston firefighters’ union says it has collected enough signatures on a petition to make it easier to bring contract talks with the city to binding arbitration. The city secretary now must verify at least 20,000 signatures, … 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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Charter amendment petitions are in

Posted on April 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I need a simpler name for this thing, so that Future Me will have an easier time searching for relevant posts. Houston voters likely will get to decide in November whether City Council members should have the power to place … Continue reading →

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Here come the petitions for the latest charter amendment effort

Posted on April 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m still skeptical of this, but we’ll see how it goes. A coalition pushing to give Houston City Council members more input at City Hall says it has gathered the required 20,000 signatures to place a charter amendment on the … Continue reading →

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Here comes a charter amendment effort

Posted on October 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m neutral about this, at least for now. The Houston Professional Firefighters Association and a coalition of other groups are launching a referendum campaign to give city council more power at City Hall. The fire union and other groups announced … Continue reading →

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Lining up for the runoff

Posted on November 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Runoffs always provide focus. Mayor Sylvester Turner is rallying the support of state and national Democrats as he seeks to fend off Tony Buzbee in the December runoff to win a second term at the helm of Houston government. One … Continue reading →

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Get ready for more Buzbee ads

Posted on November 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Keep that remote handy. Self-funding millionaire lawyer Tony Buzbee on Wednesday said he would spend whatever it takes to unseat Sylvester Turner and predicted a “full-on slugfest” during the five-week runoff to decide Houston’s mayoral race. The runoff will test … Continue reading →

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The Chron on Boykins and Lovell

Posted on October 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Time for more profiles of Mayoral candidates. Here’s the Chron piece on Dwight Boykins. “My goal is to use this position as mayor to let people know that there is hope,” [CM Dwight Boykins] said. “I’m trying to help the … Continue reading →

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The Chron’s overview of the Mayor

Posted on October 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a fair picture. Mayor Sylvester Turner hugged his way through three dozen staff and supporters, reached the podium, and smiled. It was May 2017, and Turner’s landmark pension reform bill had just passed the Legislature, validating his decision to … 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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Mediation fails again

Posted on August 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Not really a surprise. A third round of mediation between Mayor Sylvester Turner and the Houston firefighters union concluded in an apparent impasse Thursday afternoon, ending another attempt to resolve the long-running contract dispute and sending a lawsuit over the … Continue reading →

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Mediation 3.0

Posted on July 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Third time’s the charm, right? The Houston firefighters union and Mayor Sylvester Turner’s administration will return to mediation Aug. 1 in the hopes of working out a new contract amid a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Proposition B. The ballot … Continue reading →

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Sue Lovell announces for Mayor

Posted on July 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Sure, why not? Former Houston city councilwoman Sue Lovell announced Monday she is running for mayor, becoming the fourth major candidate aiming to deny Mayor Sylvester Turner a second term in November. Lovell made the announcement in a news release … Continue reading →

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By the way, City Council passed the budget

Posted on June 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

In the end, this was pretty boring. Which is a good thing. Houston city council approved Mayor Sylvester Turner’s $5.1 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year with little commotion Wednesday, authorizing a spending plan that was scrambled at the … Continue reading →

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Back to mediation

Posted on June 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Give it another sixty days. Maybe it’ll be different this time. A Texas appeals court Thursday ordered the Houston firefighters union and Mayor Sylvester Turner’s administration back to mediation in the hope the two sides will agree to a new … Continue reading →

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Prop B layoffs rescinded

Posted on June 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

No Prop B, no need for layoffs. Funny how that works. Houston City Council on Wednesday formally reversed the 220 firefighter layoffs and hundreds of demotions it approved earlier this year, making official Mayor Sylvester Turner’s pledge not to lay … Continue reading →

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Looks like Boykins is in for Mayor

Posted on June 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This had been rumored for some time. Houston City Councilman Dwight Boykins has filed paperwork indicating he will run for mayor, setting up a clash with incumbent Sylvester Turner and at least two other major candidates. Boykins filed a report … 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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Firefighters get Prop B back pay

Posted on May 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. The city of Houston on Friday issued lump-sum paychecks to more than 3,900 firefighters, a move Mayor Sylvester Turner said reflects the implementation, retroactive to Jan. 1, of Proposition B, the measure granting firefighters the same pay … Continue reading →

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The firefighters have a new enemy

Posted on May 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a renewable resource. Houston City Councilman David Robinson said he returned $7,500 in campaign contributions from the city’s firefighter union because of ethical concerns. Robinson was one of two council members who said they received text messages from Houston Professional Fire … Continue reading →

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Here’s the Mayor’s budget

Posted on May 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A lot of people won’t like it, but this is what happens when you heap a big expense on top of an already tight fiscal situation. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Tuesday proposed to close Houston’s $179 million budget gap for … Continue reading →

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Mediation fails to achieve Prop B agreement

Posted on May 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Friday said a court-appointed mediator has declared negotiations between the city and firefighters union over the implementation of Proposition B at impasse, potentially leaving the future of … Continue reading →

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Layoffs and demotions

Posted on May 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’m so ready for this to be resolved. Houston firefighters have started to receive layoff notices amid the implementation of Proposition B, Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association President Marty Lancton said in a statement Wednesday. Houston City Council voted last … Continue reading →

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Council approves firefighter layoffs

Posted on April 25, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

And here we are. City Council voted Wednesday to send 60-day layoff notices to 220 Houston firefighters to help pay for Proposition B, the voter-approved measure giving firefighters equal pay to police officers of corresponding rank and experience. The 10-6 … Continue reading →

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