ExxonMobil Unit Bound by Arbitrator’s Jobs Ruling, 3rd Cir. Says

An Exxon Mobil Corp. research subsidiary can’t permanently contract out union positions at a facility in New Jersey thanks to an arbitrator’s decision upheld by the Third Circuit.

The Philadelphia-based appeals court Thursday rejected ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Co.'s argument that an arbitrator improperly went beyond the essence of the collective bargaining agreement by considering company statements and prior arbitration decisions.

“We cannot agree with this rather myopic view of the limits of the CBA and the restrictions it places on this or any future arbitrator,” said the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. ...