“Whats happen to system protection and the ability to “bump” in the the event of a layoff. In other words if they “throw out the contract” are all our protections gone? And just what can the company change to the contract, ie: seniority protections, grievance rights, etc. Thanks“
Getting accurate answers to some of the questions being posed is not possible until we get further into this process. The simple answer to your question is that, all the things you mentioned are contained in our current contract. If the whole contract was to be rejected by the court then it will be up to the court to determine what rights and protections will be in place to protect our members. There is some precedent for seniority rights during bankruptcy, but again, without a contract in place that would be up to the court.
That is why the TWU hired a legal firm who, from day one has been filing the proper motions in order to protect your interests.
Because of scenarios like this it is important to maintain a contract with the company during these proceedings.
In Solidarity,
John Hewitt
Chairman of Maintenance