The city and San Antonio’s firefighters union have agreed to continue contract negotiations with assistance from a mediator, avoiding arbitration for now.
The two sides will meet April 17 and April 18 with former Texas Supreme Court Justice Deborah Hankinson, who presided over court-ordered mediation between the two sides in 2017.
It’s not clear whether the sessions will be public.
“We are encouraged the fire union accepted our proposal for mediation,” City Attorney Andy Segovia said Sunday. “By involving a neutral third party, we have a better opportunity to reach a resolution that is fair to both our firefighters and our taxpayers.”
The union has the power under Proposition C, a city charter amendment approved by voters in November, to declare an impasse at any time and send the talks to binding arbitration.
Negotiating team have met 10 times since the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association returned to the bargaining table in late January. The two sides were set to hit an impasse today under state law.