Contracts between employees and employers mean nothing anymore.
Contract law is dead.
That being the case, I can petition a court to overturn ANY contract that I may have entered with ANY other individual or corporate entity, if it affects my bottom line.
And people wonder why anybody who makes anything are jumping the US ship and relocating to china.
At least the chinese can guarantee a contract, even if it involves slave labor and IP theft.
Employee loyalty in the US is virtually non-existent now, thanks to companies who weasel their way out of obligations that they promised.
I think you misunderstand the ruling. The contract did not specify how long the benefits would last. Thus, they were not guaranteed to last forever. The contract was upheld. The union needs better lawyers or negotiating teams to get life long benefits. Any company that agrees to such a thing is idiotic.