Mayor John Whitmire is making quick progress on a campaign vow to resolve a protracted pay dispute with Houston's firefighters, with both city officials and the union signaling they are closing in on an agreement. After a meeting Friday morning to discuss raises and back pay, optimism is the word du jour from both City Hall and the firefighter's union.
"Mayor Whitmire has continued to show his leadership. The respect that he has shown firefighters in the past 20 days is more than what the firefighters have received for eight years," Marty Lancton, President of Local 341, told the Houston Chronicle. The city’s first proposal for pay hikes and retroactive pay marks a critical step in the mayor's plan to settle a legal standoff that's been raging since 2017.
Financial challenges remain, however, as the back pay could set the city back some $500 to $600 million. This hefty sum comes at a time when federal COVID-19 relief is drying up, and Houston officials predict budget shortfalls of up to $264 million during Whitmire’s term in office, according to the Houston Chronicle. Nevertheless, City Attorney Arturo Michel is aiming for a full resolution by the end of February, saying, "We're committed to doing everything we can to reach that goal."
Local 341, which backed Whitmire in his bid for mayor, is no stranger to conflict. The firefighters' quagmire with the city began under former Mayor Sylvester Turner and was marked by a mass exodus of firefighters, with 500 departing for better-paying roles elsewhere. Whitmire's decisive action to cease all litigation related to the matter, "You don’t sue first responders in the John Whitmire Administration; you take care of them," Whitmire said, has laid the groundwork for a starkly different approach to city-union relations, as reported by the IAFF.
