Judge rules in favor of retirees vs. CNH (It's about friggin time)

[rpannier]

A federal judge has ruled that CNH employees who retired between 1994 and 2004, and their spouses, are entitled to lifetime health-care benefits as provided in their UAW contract.

A ruling covering another 4,528 employees who retired before 1994 and their spouses is pending. That ruling is expected in the next few months.

The Aug. 29 ruling of Judge Patrick J. Duggan of the U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan Southern Division affected more than 4,200 Case Corp. retirees, their spouses and surviving spouses, said Roger McClow, who represented six Case retirees and others in their situation.

snip

CNH argued that there was no guarantee of lifetime health-care benefits for retirees and that the lawsuit should be dismissed.

The company argued that the ownership structure of the company had changed over time, and the administration of health-care benefits passed to one of its successor companies. The successor company, El Paso, notified retirees that they must pay monthly health insurance premiums or relinquish coverage.

link:
http://qconline.com/archives/qco/display.php?id=352966