Kraft Heinz Beats Another Lawsuit Over Retiree Health Benefits

Kraft Heinz Foods Co. defeated another lawsuit by retirees at an Oscar Mayer processing plant who said the company tried to move them off its health insurance plan in violation of union bargaining agreements.

Each relevant bargaining agreement contained an unambiguous “reservation-of-rights” clause allowing Kraft to modify or terminate its benefit plans at any time, an Iowa-based federal judge said March 28. The retirees therefore had no vested right to lifetime health coverage, and Kraft was within its rights to move them to a less generous benefit plan, the judge said.

The decision comes six months after a federal judge ...