According to information submitted to the Fourth Court of Appeals, San Antonio and the San Antonio Professional Firefighters  Association was unable to reach an agreement during the recent mediation session. The court had allotted the two sides a limited period of time in which to negotiate a settlement on their own before proceeding to the next step.

The current agreement expired in 2014, but included an evergreen clause that would allow the sides to keep the terms of that agreement in place for up to 10 years, if necessary. It is this clause that is now the sticking point between the city and the union, as they argue over whether or not it is constitutionally allowed. It was this issue the court ordered the two sides to mediation over.

According to the city of San Antonio, the same mediator who handled the settlement between the city and the police union earlier in the year was proposed for handling this mediation. A list was exchanged that included several mediator options, but the union said it would not agree to anyone not on its initial list of proposed mediators.

The city then attempted to speak directly to the fire union’s attorney, but was unable to get a response, according to a statement from the city. The statement as said, “The city looks forward to working with a court-appointed mediator to reach an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement with the union.”

In response, the president of the San Antonio Professional Firefighters  Association stated he did not think anyone proposed by the city had enough experience to handle the mediation.

The two sides had a week to agree on a mediator and since they were unable to do so, the dispute will now proceed to the next step.