HOUSTON — Mayor Sylvester Turner is proposing an 18% pay raise over a period of three fiscal years for local firefighters. It's the latest development in a nearly six-year dispute that has reached the streets and courtrooms.
Turner announced Wednesday he intends to present his proposal to Houston City Council as leaders work on budgets for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins June 1.
The latest proposal is based on March research collected by a third-party firm, the mayor said.
During the first fiscal year, firefighters would get an 6% pay raise for 2022 and then another 6% raise in 2023 and then a final 6% raise in 2024.
Through the proposed budget, the average annual salary for first-year firefighters would jump from $43,528 to over $51,000. That's an hourly increase of $17.92 to $21.35, according to the mayor's findings.
"The good news is that before funds are committed to other much-needed categories, we are moving forward and providing an 18% pay raise firefighters, effective the first pay period of the fiscal year," Turner said.
The mayor said he plans to pull the more than $115 million in funds entirely from the American Rescue Fund, which is comprised of federal funds meant for COVID-19 economic relief.
According to the mayor, the figure would bring Houston firefighters up to a wage comparable or higher than that of fire departments in other large Texas cities, such Dallas and San Antonio.
During the press conference, the mayor also responded to criticism he circumvented arbitration and Proposition B lawsuits.
"I've said it repeatedly, I'm not going to bankrupt this city and the taxpayers don't expect me to," Turner said with mention at least five years of budgetary shortfalls the city has had to mitigate. "So this going forward, like with all over our employees; we come to the table, we negotiate, we move forward. And in this particular case, in the absence of others coming to the table. And recognizing that there is a need for roughly 4,000 to receive a pay raise. It doesn't make any sense to continue to delay that."
The proposal is based on march research collected by a third-party firm, the mayor said.
Houston firefighters union President Marty Lancton spoke with the media following the mayor’s press conference.
He said Houston firefighters appreciate the “bonus” from the federal stimulus money but hopes the mayor will address “longstanding issues through the collective bargaining process and resolve the past five years of impasse so Houston firefighters can have a contract…We look forward to the mayor not only resolving these past issues, but also addressing the issues of the firefighters through a contract.”
Lancton reiterated that what the mayor referred to as a “raise” is really a “bonus.” He added that the union cannot accept or reject pay raises outside of the legal process through collective bargaining.
“It’s clearly been outlined by the courts,” he said. “The mayor knows what he needs to do.”
