New Houston mayor set to enter into negotiations with firefighters union over contract feud

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston Mayor John Whitmire hosted his inauguration party Tuesday night at the George R. Brown Convention Center to honor first responders. On Wednesday, there could be a pivotal point in the city's long-standing feud with the fire department.

Whitmire told ABC13 he will start negotiations with the firefighters union at 10 a.m. Wednesday. It's noteworthy because the department has been without a contract for the last seven years.

On Tuesday night, the mayor slammed the prior administration for not reaching a deal.

Both sides have filed lawsuits at taxpayers' expense, and both sides have scored minor legal victories. But none of them have resulted in a new contract.

"We shouldn't resolve our differences in court. It should be done in the mayor's office. It ought to be fair to Houstonians and the firefighters," Whitmire said.

"You can't keep suing Houston firefighters. We lost 500 in the past seven years - unprecedented loss of public safety," the Houston Firefighters Union president, Patrick "Marty" Lancton, said.

In 2021, the city approved an 18% increase in firefighter pay over three years using federal COVID-19 dollars. But the union was not satisfied, calling it a temporary bonus - and not a permanent raise.

Former Mayor Sylvester Turner said the pay hike was what the city could afford at the time.

Whitmire and the union are committed to getting this resolved.

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