Underhanded Fire Union tactics continue to pose a threat on our local government and will have detrimental effects on our economy. Last week, the Chamber Board of Directors adopted a position statement underscoring our vehement opposition to the three charter amendments proposed by the Fire Union. Each of the three charter amendments would negatively affect the city and taxpayers because of their profound impact on the financial stability of the city, the process of local government, and the quality of city leadership.
A well-run, financially strong local government is fundamental for business. Businesses cannot grow and prosper without the support and investment of their local government. It is crucially important that a city have the ability and resources available to invest in roads, water and energy as well as ensure the safety and security of neighborhoods – all necessary assets to remain competitive.
The most egregious of the three proposed charter amendments is the one that opens city council decisions that bind the municipal government financially to a public referendum that has a low threshold for signatures and provides a longer time to gather them. In our opinion, there is a real potential that this could take our community many steps backward to the times when special interest groups like the Fire Union had a chokehold on our elected officials at City Hall. City Council decisions are based on thorough analysis by city staff, a consistent public input process, and in the best interest of the citizens of San Antonio. These decisions include the approval of multi-million-dollar contracts; set water, sewer and electricity rates; and approve a multi-billion-dollar annual budget. That is how a well-functioning municipal government works. Conducting the business of city government by referendum is unnecessary, costly, and completely without merit.
San Antonio voters have repeatedly shown their willingness to make long-term investments in the community, including the most recent $850 million bond election focused on roads, flood control and drainage, parks, libraries, public safety, and most recently affordable housing. (Please see our position statement on the City’s 2017 Bond Project.) Simply put, this ill-conceived charter revision will undermine the ability of City Council members to carry out the most important duties for which they are elected and would put a bull’s-eye directly on our coveted AAA bond rating.
The second proposed charter amendment would impose binding arbitration between the Fire Union and our municipal government. This is both unnecessary and detrimental. State law already establishes the procedures by which an impasse is determined and arbitration is implemented. By short-circuiting this process and giving union bosses the ability to unilaterally declare an impasse – even before negotiations have commenced – this charter amendment would put the city and taxpayers at a terrible disadvantage and deny our citizens their lawful access to the courts.
The final proposed charter amendment proposes to upend the relationship between employer and employee by placing an irrational limit on the salary and tenure of arguably the city’s most important employee. An important element to business success is hiring the best talent in order to use that expertise to grow your business. It is undeniable that the tenure and experience of our city manager has reaped huge benefits for our community, and this amendment is clearly a personal attack on the individual who has followed the Mayor and Councilmembers’ policy direction to cut costs on an unsustainable union contract. The most ironic piece to this foolish proposition is that it will not affect our current city manager but will cripple us from hiring the best candidates in the future. Please recall that San Antonio is governed under the Council-Manager form of Government. Under our model, policy is developed by the Mayor and City Council, and its implementation, as well as the day-to-day operations, are handled by the City Manager and professional staff. Their expertise and insight ultimately lead to a well-run city.
These amendments are destructive to our city’s financial stability and bad for business. The Chamber has and will continue to back our fire men and women, because they keep us safe. We will not, however, back the shenanigans of a Fire Union run amuck. The Chamber will collaborate with our business and community partners to inform citizens of the long-lasting and far-reaching negative effects these propositions would have on the community. We cannot and will not stand down.
