Officials from the police and fire unions on Thursday offered a deal to city officials: Drop the appeals to their failed lawsuits against the unions, publicly proclaim defeat — in a sportsmanlike manner — and the labor groups will commit to starting contract negotiations within 30 days.

But Jeff Coyle, the city’s spokesman, made it clear that San Antonio has no intention of dropping legal action.

Getting the fire union to the negotiating table would be a victory for the city. Local officials have said that they’d rather negotiate a contract but because the union wouldn’t bargain, their only recourse was in the courtroom. And two-year negotiations with the police union have stalled.

The city has claimed that an evergreen clause, which extends the contract for 10 years or until a new contract is in place, violates the Texas Constitution and public policy, but a retired state district judge who heard the cases disagreed. Judge Martha Tanner ruled against the city.

Local officials plan to appeal the cases, which could ultimately end up at the Texas Supreme Court.

On Thursday, the unions reiterated their position that they won’t negotiate a new contract under the threat of a lawsuit and called on city leaders to kill the planned appeal.

“We went to court, and we won. So as far as we’re concerned, that issue should be settled,” fire union President Chris Steele said at a news conference.

Steele continued. “Here’s the pledge from San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association to Mayor Ivy Taylor: We won the lawsuit. Accept your defeat in a sportsmanship-like manner, just like we teach our children, acknowledge it publicly by refusing to appeal, and that will set the example for our children. And when you do that, the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association will commit to scheduling negotiations meetings within 30 days of that time.”

Mike Helle, president of the San Antonio Police Officers Association, said his union would return to the table if the suit were dropped. SAPOA and the city have unsuccessfully bargained for the past two years but have come up short so far.

“Today is about asking the mayor and members of council to please stop the lawsuits,” he said. “We need to get back together, healing as a family, and we need to put all these things behind us.”

The council remains split on the issue of whether to drop the lawsuits, and the unions have promised a vigorous media campaign to highlight the city’s failed suits at the expense of local taxpayers. City officials who support the lawsuits say they’re fighting for the taxpayers’ best interest and point to the police and fire contracts as what could drive the city off the fiscal cliff.

Coyle said the union offer was nothing new.

“Today's union press conference featured nothing new. Remember, it was the union who walked away from the bargaining table, not the city,” he said. “The city's last offer included nearly 16 percent in pay increases over four years, no health care premiums for employees and $80 million in new money. But that was not enough for them.”

Coyle said that if the unions come to the negotiating table and reach agreements, the suits will go away.

“But we know from two years of experience, the (unions) will fall back on the evergreen clause when they don't get what they want,” he said. “We all agree that the only place to resolve this is at the bargaining table. But as long as they are not negotiating in good faith, we have to protect the interests of our taxpayers, who are on the hook for the union's expired contract until 2024.”

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