An appeals court will not hear oral arguments in a legal battle between the city of Houston, the Houston Professional Police Officers Union and the Houston Professional Firefighters Association.

The 14th Court of Appeals instead is asking each party to submit written briefs by Sept. 3. The court made the announcement Aug. 12.

The decision is the latest development in a yearslong clash between the city and the firefighters union.

After contract negotiations between the two failed, the union led a successful ballot initiative, Proposition B, requiring equal pay for firefighters compared to police officers of the same rank. The initiative, which nearly resulted in hundreds of firefighter layoffs, has been caught in legal proceedings since its passage in November 2018.