What is Prop A?

Prop A is Texas Collective Bargaining. Prop A enhances public safety by giving Hutto Firefighters, your public safety professionals, a critical voice in the safety of our community. Cities across Texas, large and small, have supported firefighter collective bargaining for decades. It’s Texas state law – supported by Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. It’s a fair process for both our ESD and our firefighters.

Why Collective Bargaining?

As firefighters dedicated to protecting the lives and property of Hutto residents, we understand the importance of working together effectively and efficiently. One of the most productive tools to ensure our safety, fair treatment, and optimal working conditions is collective bargaining. Here’s why:

1. Enhanced Safety Standards: Collective bargaining allows us to negotiate for better safety equipment, training, and protocols, ensuring we can perform our duties as safely as possible. This protects us and enhances our ability to serve the community effectively.

2. Improved Working Conditions: Negotiating as a collective unit allows us to address shift schedules, leave policies, and apparatus conditions. Better working conditions increase job satisfaction and performance, benefiting the entire community.

3. Voice in Decision-Making: Collective bargaining provides a formal platform for us to communicate our needs and concerns to the Board members of Williamson County ESD #3. This ensures that our perspectives are considered in decisions that affect our work and lives.

4. Professional Development: By negotiating for ongoing training and educational opportunities, we can stay updated on the latest firefighting techniques and technologies, ensuring that we provide the highest level of service to the community.

5. Solidarity and Unity: Collective bargaining strengthens our unity as a team. When we stand together, we can support each other better and foster a more collaborative and supportive work environment.

By embracing collective bargaining, we can achieve a more equitable, safe, and productive work environment, enabling us to serve the Hutto community with even greater dedication and effectiveness.

What happens if Williamson County ESD #3 Board members and Hutto Fire Fighters cannot come to an agreement?

Under current state law each party has the option to either remove the issue of disagreement from the contract and pass the remainder of the contract or to pursue third-party, neutral arbitration.

As a measure of last resort, a lawsuit may be filed to compel a court to rule on certain contract matters. However, this process is rare, expensive, and usually an inefficient solution to disagreement.

Firefighters and cities across Texas have succeeded in establishing a "binding arbitration" clause in their first contracts. This simple, mutually agreed-upon article safeguards any disagreement and brings in a random, neutral arbitrator to rule on issues that cannot be reasonably negotiated.

What is Collective Bargaining?

Texas Local Government Code Chapter 174 outlines the Collective Bargaining process and rights for employees of many Texas cities.

Collective bargaining is a process by which employers and employees sit down to discuss the terms and conditions of employment. These discussions lead to a Collective bargaining agreement (employment contract) that outlines wages, hours, and working conditions. Through collaboration and mutual respect, employers and employees can develop a collective bargaining agreement that is reflective of the community's shared values while delivering high-quality services to the citizens.

Collective bargaining leads to increased safety for residents and service enhancements. Firefighters are public safety advocates and experts. We are committed to delivering the highest quality fire and emergency medical services to the residents and taxpayers. Collective bargaining gives the public safety experts, your firefighters, a voice in how these services are delivered to our community. Community safety is our top priority, and we will continually advocate for the highest quality of services for the citizens. Elected and appointed officials come and go; Hutto Firefighters will always be our community's voice for public safety.

Collective bargaining promotes transparency by its very nature. Local government transparency often increases efficiency and is always good public policy.

Collective bargaining recruits, retains, and engages employees. Collective bargaining aims to ensure that the compensation and benefits provided to firefighters are competitive and fair to the city and the employees and that our community has enough highly trained firefighters to protect our community. The healthiest workplaces are those where employees are valued and respected and feel that shared values exist across the organization. Through collective bargaining, employees know that their voices are heard and that they are partners in a collaborative decision-making process.

Are there any cost associated with Collective Bargaining?

There are no explicit costs associated with the implementation of collective bargaining.
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Most collective bargaining cities and fire departments across Texas negotiate contracts and agreements with their staff attorney, city managers, Fire Chiefs, and HR. Most cities do not employ or hire outside firms to bargain contracts but rather assign members of the council, City Manager's Office staff, ESD Board members or HR personnel with a representative from the Fire Chief's office. Most Texas firefighters' associations with collective bargaining do not hire outside counsel, contractors, or attorneys to bargain on their behalf either. Collective Bargaining is a collective process that meets in the middle through honest negotiation and transparent budget analysis.

Does Collective Bargaining create a union or require firefighters to join a union?

No. Texas law prohibits any organization from requiring membership in any employee association, union, or group. Collective Bargaining does NOT change that.

In fact, Texas law guarantees that employees who choose to not join their respective employee association shall receive the same Bargaining opportunities, benefits, and wages as every other employee in the same class.

Does Prop A take away the right for Hutto Fire Fighter to go on strike?

No. It is illegal for firefighters to go on strike.

Texas law and Prop A prohibit firefighters from "strikes and lockouts and provide penalties for strikes and lockouts." This is standard language included in firefighter contracts across Texas. Hutto firefighters know how important it is that we are ALWAYS available and ready to respond—24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year—and we support this law. We believe firefighters should always be on duty, and strikes or lockouts have no place when it comes to public safety.

Prop A enhances public safety by giving Hutto firefighters - your public safety professionals - a critical voice in our community's safety and reinforces Texas law to ensure we will always be available to respond when you need us most.

What requirements would Collective Bargaining place on Williamson County ESD #3?

Under the Texas Collective Bargaining law, the ESD Board would be required to recognize the group chosen by the majority of Hutto firefighters as their exclusive bargaining representative.
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The ESD Board would then be required to meet and bargain in good faith with the chosen group to negotiate over mandatory bargaining subjects such as wages, benefits, hours, and mutually agreed-upon working conditions.
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The law requires that the ESD offer wages commensurate with similar skilled work in comparable industries within the private sector. This does not obligate the ESD to any particular wage but rather ensures that the ESD will bargain to fairly accomplish one of the primary goals of the Texas legislature in drafting the law: that cities and ESDs can attract, hire, and retain the best and brightest.
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The ESD Board would retain management rights to set broader department policies and directives regarding the Fire Department's operations.