AI-assisted research summary: Fire fighters and police officers may not strike or organize work stoppages, and participating in a strike causes forfeiture of employment-related rights and benefits.
Sec. 143.303. GENERAL PROVISIONS RELATING TO AGREEMENTS, RECOGNITION, AND STRIKES. (a) A municipality may not be denied local control over wages, salaries, rates of pay, hours of work, other terms and conditions of employment, or other personnel issues on which the public employer and an association that is recognized as the sole and exclusive bargaining agent for all fire fighters or police officers in the municipality agree. A term or condition on which the public employer and the association do not agree is governed by the applicable statutes, local ordinances, and civil service rules. An agreement must be reduced to writing. This subchapter does not require the public employer and the association to meet and confer or reach an agreement on any issue. (b) A public employer and an association recognized under this subchapter as a sole and exclusive bargaining agent may meet and confer only if the association does not advocate the illegal right to strike by public employees. (c) A fire fighter or police officer of a municipality may not engage in a strike or organized work stoppage against this state or a political subdivision of this state. A fire fighter or police officer who participates in a strike forfeits all civil service rights, reemployment rights, and other rights, benefits, or privileges the fire fighter or police officer enjoys as a result of the person's employment or previous employment with the municipality. This subsection does not affect the right of a person to cease employment if the person is not acting in concert with other fire fighters or police officers. Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 1003, Sec. 1, eff. Aug. 28, 1995.