Lawsuit alleges Whirlpool’s right to alter Maytag retirees’ health benefits

Whirlpool’s lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Des Moines last week seeks to alter Maytag retiree health benefits to the same level as Whirlpool retirees receive. Time will tell whether Whirlpool is successful, but judging from the lawsuit, Whirlpool believes it’s well within its rights to alter the benefits for Maytag’s retired union workers once the current contract expires July 31. According to the lawsuit, which names UAW and several Maytag retirees, Whirlpool proposed modifying Maytag health benefits during a negotiation session on July 1. Under the proposal, all current and future Maytag retirees would receive the same level of health benefits that Whirlpool’s employees do. Whirlpool currently has roughly 3,000 union Maytag r