Fired Wood Dale firefighter to return to work
Lt. Robert Cortese will return to work Friday with the Wood Dale Fire Protection District, following a federal arbitrator's ruling that he was fired without sufficient cause last winter.
The decision marks the final verdict in a year of legal disputes that began last November with Cortese's demotion and his firing in February.
In May, state labor officials ruled to restore his rank and, after an appeal from the district, ruled again in July that Cortese could remain a lieutenant.
The district must pay back wages and benefits Cortese lost since February.
Cortese, who is also the firefighters union president, declined to comment.
Fire Chief Tom Flanagan said the district is not planning an appeal and hopes to put the dispute in the past.
"We have good personnel in this fire district, and we want to continue to move in the right direction," Flanagan said. "It is what it is. We have no intention of pursuing this further."
Conflicts between Cortese and the district began in November 2007, when Cortese was demoted to firefighter/paramedic and took a $7,000 annual pay cut after 15 years with the district. Fire union representatives said his demotion was due to Cortese's public criticism of Flanagan's plan to temporarily close the district's southernmost station as the district dealt with budget and staffing issues.
About three months later, in mid-February, Cortese was fired after arguing with another acting lieutenant over who was really in charge during a shift on Christmas Day.
After filing a complaint on his demotion, the Illinois Labor Relations Board ruled in May 2008 to reinstate Cortese to his former rank with back pay on a technicality - the district failed to submit the proper paperwork in the case.
The district appealed the decision and, in July, the board ruled in Cortese's favor again. The labor board also fined the district $5,000, saying in the ruling that its arguments were without merit, and ordered the district to pay Cortese's legal fees, back wages and 7 percent interest.
Fire district Trustee Gail Johnson she had been confident Cortese would get his job back, and she lamented the money spent on legal fees.
"I'm the one who told (the other trustees) that this is going to come back to bite us," Johnson said. "We've wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight (this) ... It's all come full circle. I'm very, very happy justice was served."