HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution 2715
A Resolution
NO c~~ ~r-
RELATING TO MEET AND CONFER LEGISLATION
AND RELATED ISSUES
WHEREAS durnng the 74~' Regular Session nn 1995 SB 863 by Senator Gonzalo Barrientos (D)
Austin, was passed by the Texas Legislature and became law as codified as Subchapter I, Chapter 143 of
the Local Government Code that applied to the cnty of Austin providing meet and confer provisions for
any civil servnce city with a population of 460 000 or more that was not covered by voter approved
collective bargamm~g or by the meet and confer provisions applicable to the city of Houston, and
WHEREAS because of the 2000 census figures which show Fort Worth to have a population of
534 694 the Austin meet and confer law will now apply to the City of Fort Worth after September 1
2001 unless changed by the legislature and
WHEREAS the law currently applicable to Austin relating to meet and confer ns a form of collective
bargamnng nn that rt provides for a method for formal city recognition of police and fire associations
after their vote to organize provides for formalized bargannnng and negotiations between the city
management and the association bargainnng units, allows for written agreements or contracts between
the City and the associations, allows for ratification of multi year contracts by simple nna~ornty council
vote and provides that these multi year contracts are bmdnng on the City once they are ratified, and
V~~HEREAS heretofore, allowing a city m Texas to engage nn collective bargaining required a vote of
the citizens and the cntnzens of the cnty of Fort Worth voted to re}ect collectnve bargamm~g by its cnty
government m 1977 and
WHEREAS since the meet and confer provnsnons currently applncable to Austin are a form of collective
bargamm~g, at minimum the citizens should be allowed to vote on whether these provisions should be
applicable nn Fort Worth, and
WHEREAS Representative Bnll Carter has filed HB 2384 that provides for new law that requnres voter
approval prior to allowing the provnsnons of meet and confer contained nn Chapter 143' Subchapter I, of
the Local Government Code to apply nn Fort Worth, and
WHEREAS on December 5 2000 the Fort Worth Cnty Council adopted the City of Fort North s 2001
State Legnslatnve Program that contanned a posrtnon of oppositnon to collective bargamm~g and to meet and
confer legnslatnon as well as provnded support for legnslatnon to change current law such that Fort Worth wnll
not fall under the provnsnons of meet and confer because of a change m its census populatnon figures, and
WHEREAS with the Texas Legnslatnve Sessnon underway nt ns felt that the Cnty Conzncnl should reaffirm
its posntnon on collectnve bargaining and meet and confer as well as consnder a formal posrtnon on the
proposed legnslatnon as~ovnded by HB 2384 ~~
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT
WORTH, TEXAS,
That the City of Fort Worth City Council reaffirms its position of opposition to meet and confer
legislation or any legislation that relates to granting collective bargaining nghts or similar rights to
employee groups without a vote of the citizens, and
That the City of Fort Worth City Council supports legislation such as HB 2384 by Representative Bill
Carter that requires a positive citizen vote before meet and confer provisions are effective m the City of
Fort Worth, and
That the City of Fort Worth City Council directs staff to work with Representative Bill Carter the
Tarrant County State Delegation and the Texas Legislature to seek passage of HB 2384 or to seek
passage of legislation that changes the population bracket contained in Chapter 143 Subchapter I of the
Local Government Code such that this law is not applicable to Fort Worth, and
That the City of Fort Worth City Council urges the members of the Tarrant County State Delegation and
the members of the Texas Legislature to support the City of Fort Worth position on law relating to meet
and confer
Adopted this~~ ay of March, 2001
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Mayor Kenneth Barr
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APPROVED
G9TY COUNGiL
MAR ~® 2009
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~"y,
City Secretary at tR~
City o1 Fort 1~er-h. R°~:
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