TEXAS CITY — The president of the Texas City firefighters’ union is poised to get the promotion and back pay for which he sued the city in 2006.
In a tentative settlement, the city isn’t acknowledging Steve Cooley’s claims that it passed him over for promotion because of his union activities, but it will promote him to captain and pay him $91,400 in damages and fees, his lawyer said.
The settlement, if it becomes formal, will conclude one of several conflicts involving the Texas City Fire Department.
There are two lawsuits involving claims of discrimination and retaliation, and a church has sued the city, alleging a violation of due process rights because the city threatened to shut it down if it didn’t install a sprinkler system.
The city has always said it didn’t promote Cooley because he lacked leadership ability and had a bad attitude, but Cooley’s lawyer, Craig Deats of Austin, said he produced affidavits to the contrary from co-workers, supervisors and subordinates of Cooley.
“We vigorously deny that Steve engaged in any disruptive conduct at any time,” Deats said, adding he still thinks the lack of promotion — despite Cooley passing a test and meeting other qualifications — was retaliation for Cooley’s activities in collective bargaining negotiations on behalf of International Association of Firefighters Local 1259.
But former Fire Chief Gerald Grimm, now retired, said he and Mayor Matt Doyle made the decision to bypass Cooley for promotion in 2004 because Cooley exhibited “ongoing disruptive conduct while on duty which had a material, adverse and extremely detrimental effect on the mission” of the department.
Grimm declined to elaborate because he did not want to compromise the settlement.
The decision to bypass Cooley was backed by the assistant fire chief and the civil service commission, Grimm said.
Since then, Cooley has shown positive changes in his behavior that led to the decision to promote him, the former chief said.
“I’m just glad to be finished with this deal and I’m glad Mr. Cooley’s going to be a captain in our fire department,” Doyle said.
