A Texas appeals court has ordered the Houston firefighters union and the administration of Mayor Sylvester Turner back to mediation in the hope the two sides will agree to a new contract.
The order by the 14th Court of Appeals, which requires the parties to hold talks within 60 days, comes a month after a state district judge declared Prop B unconstitutional. The ballot initiative, passed by Houston voters this past November, required the city to pay firefighters and police officers of equal rank and experience the same salaries.
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City Council on Wednesday reversed 220 firefighter layoffs and hundreds of demotions it previously approved to help offset the cost of implementing Prop B. Turner opposed the initiative and said its passage would require layoffs, while the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association has strenuously disagreed.
The union appealed the district court ruling on May 15 declaring Prop B unconstitutional to the 14th Court of Appeals.
In mediation, unlike arbitration, all parties must agree to a solution. Previous talks ended in early May when a mediator declared the negotiations had reached an impasse.
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