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City of Houston

Turner Invites Firefighters Union To Discuss Prop B Implementation

In a letter sent to Patrick ‘Marty’ Lancton, the Mayor says he wants to discuss the union’s “ideas” to establish pay parity between HPD and HFD.

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Mayor Sylvester Turner has underscored that the reform also creates a mechanism to prevent Houston's debt from getting out of control because, if the new funding for pensions doesn't meet its benchmarks, the City and its employees would go back to negotiating adjustments to retirement benefits.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner (center) is inviting the firefighters union to discuss how the City can implement pay parity between the local police and fire departments.

Mayor Sylvester Turner has invited the Houston firefighters union to a meeting on January 16 at 2 p.m. to discuss the implementation of Proposition B, which voters approved in the November 6 election and entails establishing pay parity between the local police and fire departments.

In a letter sent Wednesday to the union's president Patrick ‘Marty' Lancton, Turner said that "considering the financial constraints on the City arising from the revenue cap, pension costs and extraordinary events like Hurricane Harvey," he wants to know what are the union's "ideas" to implement Proposition B.

The mayor adds in the letter he doesn't want to lay off any City employees and writes: "If the sacrifice of city services and city employees and their families in order to finance your pay increase can be avoided, I am open to consideration of your ideas."

Al Ortiz

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