City of San Antonio v. International Association of Fire Fighters, Local 624

In City of San Antonio v. International Association of Fire Fighters, Local 624, Nos. 04-12-00783-CV & 04-13-00109-CV, 2013 WL 5508408 (Tex. App.--San Antonio Oct. 2, 2013, no pet.), the Union filed a lawsuit "alleging that the City had violated Chapter 174 of the Texas Local Government Code by unilaterally altering the prerequisites for health-insurance coverage of firefighters and their dependents without engaging in good-faith collective bargaining with the Union." Specifically, the Union alleged that "the City unilaterally changed the CBA's terms by: (1) requiring active enrollment in order for the firefighters to continue receiving health-care benefits; (2) threatening termination of coverage for currently covered dependents unless the firefighters provide additional information." Id. The City filed a motion to compel, arguing that under the terms of the CBA, the Union's claims had to be compelled to arbitration. Id. After the trial court denied the motion and the City filed its interlocutory appeal, this court considered whether the Union's claims fell within the scope of the CBA's arbitration agreement.