Opinion ID: 500031
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The March 4th Agreement

Text: 5 On March 4, 1980, thirteen railroads who were operating or contemplating operations on Rock Island lines, including the CNW, entered into a labor protective agreement 3 with national representatives of rail labor organizations, including the national representatives of appellee unions involved in the present action. 6 The March 4th Agreement was designed to ease a potentially troublesome transition. The acquiring railroad agreed to make accommodations in terms of providing rights of first hire and seniority to the employees of the acquired company. In exchange, the international unions agreed to assure labor peace during the transition. Specifically, the stated purpose of this agreement was to provide: 7 a fair, equitable and complete arrangement for protection of ... Rock Island employees taken into the employ of interim service operators and purchasing carriers signatory hereto and to enable the interim service operator or purchasing carrier to be operated in the most efficient manner, as set forth herein, immediately upon authorization for such operation. 8 March 4th Agreement at 1. 9 Article II of the Agreement provides that the purchasing carrier shall determine by craft its necessary additional manpower requirements due to its taking over ... [the] Rock Island lines. Id. at 3. The acquiring carrier further agreed to provide a detailed explanation of these needs, to discuss its requirements with representatives of the crafts employed by both the acquiring and acquired railroad, and to extend to employees of the acquired railroad the right of first hire in all work stemming from the acquisition. Id. This right of first hire was to accrue to employees in order of their seniority. 4 10 Article II, section 9, of the Agreement sets forth procedures to determine job seniority for former Rock Island employees hired by the CNW. It states: 11 [A]greements will be reached on each purchasing carrier concerning the manner in which seniority will be allocated in filling additional job assignments, between the purchasing carrier's employees and the bankrupt carrier employees hired by the purchasing carrier. 12