Opinion ID: 59782
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: Texas City (“the City”) has a professional Fire Department. Grimm has held the rank of Chief since 1991, and Cooley has held the rank of Engineer since November 1998. Cooley is a member and elected officer of the Texas City Fire Fighters Association (“the Association”), the bargaining representative of the fire fighters. The Fire Department operates under a Collective Bargaining Agreement (“CBA”) and the Fire Fighter and Police Officer Civil Service Act, Texas Local Government Code Chapter 143. Each year, the City and the Association negotiate a successor CBA. Grimm makes promotions in the Fire Department using competitive procedures mandated by the civil service law.2 The highest-ranked candidate on the promotional eligibility list––based upon test scores and seniority––must be considered first for promotion; however, Grimm may bypass this candidate if he has a “valid reason.” Beginning in spring 2004, a series of events occurred that created three vacancies in the rank of Captain. Captains work closely with the Fire Chief in managing the Fire Department. At all relevant times, Cooley was ranked first and Joe Tumbleson was ranked second. 1 Because the district court failed to set forth in its order the factual disputes that precluded granting summary judgment in detail, this Court must “undertake [a] cumbersome review of the record to determine what facts the district court, in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party [Cooley], likely assumed.” Johnson v. Jones, 515 U.S. 304, 319 (1995). 2 The current list of ranks in the Fire Department are as follows: Chief, Captain, Engineer, and Fire Fighter. Although the rank of Assistant Fire Chief was created in 2004, it was eliminated in early 2005, due to pressure from the Association. 2 No. 07-40261 (1) Early 2004 vacancy and June 2004 offer of promotion to Cooley At some time prior to June 2004, Fire Marshal Ken Jones retired, creating the first vacancy for Captain. On June 18, 2004, Grimm offered Cooley a promotion. It was for a forty-hour-per-week, Monday-through-Friday administrative position. Cooley declined this promotion because personal commitments required that he maintain his then-current shift schedule. Tumbleson also declined. (2) June 2004 through September 2004 union negotiations In June 2004, the City and the Association began their annual negotiations for a successor CBA, which generally concern the wages, hours, and working conditions of the fire fighters. Grimm, the Mayor of the City, and the City’s attorney represented the City. Cooley, Captain Harmon Hart, and Fire Fighter Mark Pandanell, among others, represented the Association. During these negotiations, the City took the position that it wanted to eliminate the “prevailing rights” provision in the CBA. Under this provision, working conditions not specifically identified in the CBA itself are nonetheless protected during the life of the agreement. The Association did not agree with the City’s position. Negotiations grew increasingly contentious and continued throughout late summer and into September 2004. Ultimately, the City and the Association reached an impasse. Cooley admitted to being a vocal and forceful member of the Association’s bargaining team. Other team members recalled Cooley being forceful, but they stated that he was never discourteous to members of the City’s bargaining team. Nonetheless, then-Assistant Fire Chief Robert Baker stated that Grimm discussed Cooley’s role and behavior in the negotiations with him on several 3 No. 07-40261 occasions. Given Grimm’s reaction and description of the events, Baker interpreted Grimm’s perception of Cooley’s behavior “disrespectful.” (3) July 2004 vacancy and November 2004 promotional bypass of Cooley On July 7, 2004, the City created the rank of Assistant Fire Chief. On July 22, 2004, Grimm promoted Captain Baker to Assistant Fire Chief, creating a second vacancy for Captain. Even though local law required Grimm to make the promotion within sixty days of its opening, he did not do so. Shortly after this deadline expired, Cooley, who was still first on the promotional eligibility list, filed an Association grievance contesting Grimm’s failure to promote him. After Cooley filed his grievance, numerous activities occurred regarding his candidacy for promotion. They are summarized as follows: (a) Baker’s Initial Memorandum: In late September/early October 2004, Baker submitted an unsigned memorandum to Grimm, stating that Cooley needed to spend less time on union activities when he was on duty. In line with this letter, Grimm confirmed that Baker informed him on numerous occasions in 2004 that Cooley engaged in improper union activities while on duty. (b) Sowell’s Series of Letters: On October 4 and 10, 2004, Captain Oseeg Sowell submitted a series of letters to Grimm, referencing Cooley’s on-duty union activities and stating that Cooley had a lack of respect for authority. (c) Cooley’s Interview and Baker’s Final Memorandum: In mid-October 2004, Grimm instructed Baker and Sowell to review and make a recommendation regarding Cooley’s candidacy. As part of this process, for the first time in any Fire Department promotion, Grimm ordered Baker and Sowell to interview Cooley. The interview occurred on October 15, 2004, about the time that the CBA negotiations stalled. Grimm provided Baker and Sowell with 4 No. 07-40261 a list of questions, one of which related to union activity.3 Based upon this interview, their personal observations, and some limited third-party information, Baker and Sowell wrote a recommendation that urged Grimm to bypass Cooley. Grimm admitted that he asked them to rewrite the recommendation twice before he accepted it. The final version, signed only by Baker and dated October 19, 2004, stated that although Cooley was technically very capable, he lacked leadership skills. Baker concluded that a Cooley promotion would be detrimental to the efficient operation of the Fire Department. In support, Baker informed Grimm of several incidents, which included Cooley’s refusal to participate in diversity training,4 Cooley’s ongoing refusal to recognize Sowell’s authority over him, and Cooley’s statement that he did not trust management. (d) Cooley’s Performance Review: On November 10, 2004, Baker presented Cooley with a written performance review, the first in many years. This review rated Cooley’s performance as unsatisfactory in five of eleven rating categories and accused him of having very poor professional judgment and rapport with management and colleagues. This evaluation was signed by Grimm. Grimm admitted considering these events when deciding whether to promote Cooley. Grimm also stated that he believed that Cooley had gradually become a problem over the preceding few years. Cooley, on the other hand, disputed many, if not all, of these complaints about his behavior, characterizing them as an attempt, orchestrated by Grimm, to deprive him of the promotion because of 3 Specifically, one of the questions that Grimm instructed Baker to ask was: Based upon my limited interaction with you as an Assistant Chief, you appear to be engaged in the deliberate propagation of negativity with your subordinates and the propagation of union philosophy while on duty. Do you believe that type of conduct is appropriate for employees, especially those holding supervisory positions? 4 Notably, this incident occurred prior to June 2004, when Grimm had actually offered a promotion to Cooley. 5 No. 07-40261 his role in the union negotiations. Cooley provided a number of affidavits from various Captains and coworkers, including his immediate supervisor, Hart, which support his argument that he was not a behavioral problem, was not a negative influence, and was targeted because of his union activities. On November 10, 2004, Grimm officially notified Cooley that he would be bypassed for promotion. Grimm delivered a letter to Cooley and the Texas City Firefighters’ and Police Officers’ Civil Service Commission (“the Commission”), citing his reasons, which he contends were exclusive. It does not mention Cooley’s union activities and instead states: As a result of observations of Department senior staff and a promotional interview, I have concluded that Mr. Cooley should not be promoted at this time because he lacks leadership skills and he also projects a negative attitude that has been detrimental to building a positive working environment. Mr. Cooley has appeared angry and resentful in the workplace, but has not explained his reasons for exhibiting these demeanors. Mr. Cooley has also been deficient in developing professional relationships with his fellow employees. He has not always maintained professional attitudes at Departmental activities and he has not always fostered positive professional attitudes in his subordinates. Various senior staff members have counseled Mr. Cooley on several occasions that he needs to work on these issues, but he has not followed their advice. Cooley appealed to the Commission, but it upheld Grimm’s decision. This position remained vacant until the City abolished the Assistant Fire Chief position on April 6, 2005 and demoted Baker back to Captain. (4) January 2005 vacancy and promotional bypass of Cooley On January 3, 2005, Captain Mark O’Neal retired, creating a third vacancy for Captain. On January 4, 2005, however, Grimm again bypassed Cooley for promotion, using the same reasons previously articulated for the 6 No. 07-40261 November 10, 2004 bypass. Cooley appealed to the Commission, but it upheld Grimm’s decision. Instead, Grimm promoted Tumbleson.