As fire contract talks stall again, city negotiators want to bring in a neutral party

When negotiating teams for the City of San Antonio and the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association sat down for the first time in February, they were full of hope. Following a bitter, years-long battle over the previous contract, which was eventually forced on them through an arbitration process, both sides were optimistic they could finally hammer out a deal themselves. But after eight bargaining sessions over the course of five weeks, they can’t even stay at the same table, and city negotiators have suggested the two sides bring in a mediator.