HESSEMARTONE CONGRATULATES PRAIRIE FARMS IN ARBITRATION WIN DEFINING COST SHARING OF HEALTH BENEFITS
Prairie Farms and the Illinois Conference of Teamsters negotiated a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that included language permitting the employee contribution to the company’s health care benefits to be adjusted annually to reflect medical inflationary trends, but could not be adjusted by more than 15 percent per year. The Union filed a grievance arguing that the medical inflationary trends should not be included in the Company’s calculation of health care benefit employee contributions. The arbitrator dismissed the grievance, noting that the clear language of the CBA permitted the calculation and subsequent increase to the employee contributions. Attorney Willie McGarry defended Prairie Farms in the arbitration.