Thousands of firefighters line up to receive checks from $650M settlement from City of Houston

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Nearly 5,000 firefighters lined up on Saturday at the NRG Arena to claim their checks in a $650 million settlement with the City of Houston, with more expected to collect on Sunday.

The checks make up for seven years of backpay that Houston firefighters worked without a contract due to a stalemate between the union and the city under former Mayor Sylvester Turner's administration.

City Controller Chris Hollins noted that firefighters received lower pay at that time than those who worked in similarly sized cities.

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The case went to court several times, and ultimately, the city was forced to return to the negotiating table with the union.

Mayor John Whitmire, endorsed by the union, made one of his main campaign promises last year about ending the city's legal dispute with firefighters.

A deal was made in March, including 34% raises for firefighters for the next five years and $650 million in back pay. However, elected officials and the community have been contentious about the amount and where the money would come from.

Hollins, tasked with certifying any financial items that go before the council, previously said that the city doesn't have a lot of cash sitting around, so they would have to issue a bond to pay for it. When considering interest, Hollins estimates it will cost the city more than $1 billion.

In June, Hollins questioned the deal and delayed it for several weeks. He ultimately signed off on it before the deadline of July 1, when the new fiscal year began.

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Hollins told ABC13 last Wednesday that he believes firefighters should be paid what they deserve. But he has also been sounding the alarm after saying that the city has no plan for where this money is supposed to come from.

When Hollins raised these concerns during the July 31 city council meeting, Whitmire accused him of sharing his political views. However, Hollins insisted that there was nothing political about looking at the city's finances and having concerns that there was not enough funding coming in.

The average amount that firefighters will see on their checks is $165,000. When the lump sum is broken down, firefighters are being roughly compensated an extra $20,000 a year. Some will receive double that amount.

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