May 14--Hundreds of Houston firefighters did not receive any increase in pay last week, despite Mayor Sylvester Turner's announcement that the city is implementing raises retroactive to Jan. 1 under Proposition B, the voter-approved measure that grants firefighters the same pay as police of corresponding rank and seniority.
The back pay made up about $15.2 million of the $27.4 million issued to firefighters Friday, with the rest funding the department's biweekly payroll, a spokesperson for the mayor confirmed Tuesday. Turner said the paychecks "reflect the implementation of Proposition B," with the department's two-week payroll increasing from $10.2 million to $12.3 million.
Some firefighters did not receive raises because they lack the educational degree required by the corresponding police rank, said Mary Benton, Turner's press secretary.Unlike police officers, firefighters are not required to have degrees to receive certain promotions.
Marty Lancton, president of the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association, called the educational component a "red herring," contending that it does not explain why so many firefighters' pay checks remained the same.
Three firefighters, who requested their names not be used out of fear of retaliation, confirmed to the Chronicle that they had not received pay raises and said they were unsure why.
One of the firefighters, a senior captain, said he met the educational requirements of the corresponding police lieutenant position. "The mayor still refuses to disclose whether, when and how he will equalize pay and incentives between police and fire," Lancton said.
Firefighters received letters informing them of a newly created call center set up to answer questions about Prop B pay, including those regarding educational qualifications, Benton said.
The union has said Turner is violating Prop B by not granting raises to firefighters who lack the degree required for the corresponding police rank. It was not immediately clear how many firefighters failed to see raises under Prop B.
Controller Chris Brown said in an April memo to Finance Director Tantri Emo that the Turner administration's estimated Prop B cost of $79 million includes base pay increases for 3,217 employees, 730 fewer than initial estimates.
Turner has said the back pay and payroll hike would cost the city $31 million during the 2019 fiscal year, about $16 million more than firefighters received last week.
The department's two-week payroll also increased by about $2.1 million, according to numbers from Turner's press release.
When the 2020 fiscal year begins July 1, Houston police officers will receive a 4 percent pay raise, a bump that will be granted to firefighters through Prop B's parity requirement.
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