Paper, Allied, Chemical & Energy Workers International Union, Local 5-508 v. Slurry Explosive Corp.

**Union vs. Slurry Explosive Corp: Mixed Ruling on Employee Status and Arbitration** This case involved a dispute between a union and Slurry Explosive Corp over whether a worker named Buzard was covered by their collective bargaining agreement and whether his termination was proper. The union argued that Buzard was an employee under their 1997 contract and filed a grievance when he was fired. The company disagreed, claiming the union had previously agreed that Buzard wasn't covered by the union contract. The court issued a split decision. The company won on one issue - the court found that the union had indeed made a verbal agreement that Buzard wasn't an employee under the 1997 contract, so the union broke that agreement. However, the union won on the main issue - the court ordered that the dispute over Buzard's firing must go to arbitration as called for in their contract. **What this means for workers:** Even when there are disagreements about whether someone is covered by a union contract, workers may still have the right to have their termination disputes heard through arbitration rather than being dismissed outright. This shows the importance of arbitration procedures in union contracts for protecting workers' rights to fair hearings.