Jeff Caynan's Defense of HFD

Click image to read Jeff's letter to Jolanda Jones.

Houston firefighters are fortunate to have two outstanding leaders at this critical moment: Phil Boriskie and Jeff Caynon.

Tentative Contract Agreement

Statement of Jeffrey Caynon,President of the Houston Professional Firefighters Association (HPFFA)February 6, 2009

“After seven months of negotiations, we are pleased to announce that we have reached a tentative two-year labor agreement with the City of Houston , subject to the approval of our 4,000 or so members.

“The new agreement, which provides a 10-percent pay increase over two years, sensibly addresses issues that have long affected Houston firefighters and their families – base pay, insurance benefits, certification, and education pay. The agreement also reflects an appreciation of our members of the current economic condition of our city and the nation.

“The negotiations with the city led to concessions by both sides on more than a half dozen key issues. In his 2005 state-of-the-city address, Houston Mayor Bill White said, ‘We can't allow our firefighters to be lured away by other cities who pay much more or lose essential emergency paramedic personnel. They serve us well.’ For much of the past year, the mayor and his collective bargaining team have tried to honor their commitment to help the Houston Fire Department attract and keep excellent personnel through more competitive compensation.

“Our firefighters and emergency medical professionals – who will respond to about 260,000 calls this year, making our department the busiest in Texas – are honored to continue serving the citizens of Houston , and we look forward to approving this contract.”

Collective Bargaining Progress Report

From Local 341:

7/11/2008 4:23:46 PM

Today’s meeting being the first of the new bargaining cycle; it was mostly a getting-to-know-you type meeting.

The city responded to our proposals of:

• ground rules – (these are the rules by which both sides will conduct themselves in the bargaining process)
• articles acceptable without change
• articles acceptable with minimal change

In the end we temporarily agreed (TA’ed) to nine (9) articles:

• Savings Clause*
• Mediation Process*
• No Strike/No Lock out*
• Payroll Deduction of Dues*
• Civil Service Provisions*
• Maintenance of Standards*
• Management Rights*
• Authority of the Acting Fire Chief
• Intent and Purpose

* denotes no change in the current language.

They will make the video recording available within three business days and we will post it on the website as soon as practicable. The next meeting is scheduled for July 25, 2008 at 10:00am at the City Hall Annex 3rd floor conference room.

Click below for the current CBA:

The Contract