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Appeals Court rules for Firefighters, how much will it cost Houston?

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Published  May 9, 2021 12:16pm CDT
What's Your Point?
FOX 26 Houston

Court rules with Firefighters

Houston's Sunday morning political debate show! This week's panel discusses the recent ruling from the 14th Court of Appeals that supports union bargaining rights and moves Houston's firefighters closer to a conclusion to their fight with the city over back pay.

HOUSTON - A major, game-changing victory this week for long-suffering Houston firefighters in their running-legal-fist- fight with Mayor Sylvester Turner and the City of Houston.

A unanimous ruling by the 14th Court of Appeals leaves intact current law which allows a judge to settle wage disputes when the collective bargaining process is locked in a stalemate, as it's been with Firefighters and the city for the last five years.

If the ruling holds as legal experts predict, Houston taxpayers will eventually be on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars worth of back-pay, plus a substantial salary hike for firefighters moving forward.

Houston’s city attorney says an appeal to the Texas Supreme Court is under consideration, FOX 26  Legal Analyst Chris Tritico and other experts say that will only delay the inevitable as the outstanding bill continues to grow.