He worked for the Case/New Holland Co. in Burlington, and served six years as bargaining chair for UAW Local 807 and was the union production safety representative from 1988 until retirement in 2002.

Courtney served on the Iowa Judicial Nominating Commission, and he currently serves on the Regional Workforce Development Board for Region 16, and is a member of AMVETS.

He served on steering committee for Community Health Center of Southeast Iowa and Heartland Center for Occupational Health and Safety Board.

Courtney is a past chair of the Des Moines County Democrats.

[3] Archived 2007-01-04 at the Wayback Machine Courtney was defeated in his reelection bid in 2016.