BNA - Guild News

Oct. 1, 2003

Employees May Volunteer for RIF List

Under the new Guild contract that took effect March 1, employees may volunteer to resign and possibly receive benefits under the reduction in force (RIF) provisions of the contract.

The new language is part of substantial changes in the Job Security section (Art. XIX/Pages 43-60) of the new contract.

One of the goals of the new language is to make RIFs voluntary whenever possible, allowing employees who want to keep their jobs to remain at BNA while allowing others who may want to leave to accept the RIF benefits. Such benefits include so-called "double severance," up to six months of employer-paid health care, and in some cases early retirement benefits.

During the 2002-2003 contract talks, BNA told the Guild the company's workforce had been trimmed by more than 5 percent in the past three years, partly through RIFs.

Under the new contract, an employee in a RIFed position has the first option to accept the dismissal and the RIF benefits. If the employee wants to stay, the contract allows other employees in like jobs in the same section to resign and accept the RIF benefits. The next step is to allow resignations on a company-wide basis, thus allowing the RIFed employee to remain in the job.

Employees may submit their names to Human Resourcs for the Voluntary Resignation List either in advance of an announced RIF or at the time the company determines a RIF is necessary. Information about the Voluntary Resignation List is confidential, and the company may not discriminate against employees submitting their names for the list. Employees also may withdraw from the list by giving written notice to HR. More information about volunteering for the list is on pages 45-48 of the contract.
Under the contract, BNA retains "full discretion to accept or decline resignation" from any employee on the Voluntary Resignation List.

The new contract preserves most of the provisions in previous contracts that allow RIFed employees to "bump" back into positions they have previously held, remain on the preferential rehiring list for two years if they are dismissed, and receive up to six months of BNA-paid health care coverage.

-- Reza Namdar
Unit Chair

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