Colgate-Palmolive Company is an American worldwide consumer products company focused on the production, distribution and provision of household, health care and personal care products. Under its “Hill’s Pet Nutrition” brand, it is also a manufacturer of veterinary products. The company’s corporate offices are on Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.
Once the plaintiffs began work at the Jeffersonville facility, they became members of the Union and therefore subject to the terms of the existing collective bargaining agreement. That agreement set the terms and conditions of employment for the covered employees. Part of the agreement established plantwide seniority dates for layoff and recall rights. The seniority provision provided that seniority for layoffs and re-calls was to be based on the date upon which the employee was originally hired at the Jeffersonville facility.[4] That agreement also contained a mandatory grievance and arbitration clause for disputes arising from the agreement. -Smith v. Colgate-Palmolive Co.