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McKeown and his family decided to relocate to the Minneapolis
area so Mr. McKeown could work for NWA in Minneapolis.
NWA sent layoff notices to some of its employees when it
experienced financial difficulties. The employees receiving the
notices could either choose to accept the layoff or exercise
their seniority. Seniority depended on the length of time an
employee had worked for NWA regardless of where the airline
facility was located. An employee with higher seniority could
exercise his or her seniority to bump an employee with less
seniority and take that employee’s position. The employee with
less seniority could then take the layoff or find another
employee with less seniority to bump. This seniority bumping
arrangement was in place across the country, so that an NWA
mechanic looking to keep his or her job at NWA had to look at
several different cities to find a less senior employee to bump.
Most employees exercised their seniority in the way that would
give them positions in cities as close as possible to their
families.
Mr. McKeown received a bump notice in April 2003. Mr.
McKeown chose to exercise his seniority and bump another employee
rather than accept the layoff. Mr. McKeown was first bumped to
Detroit, Michigan, effective on April 11, 2003. Mr. McKeown was
then bumped again and took a position in Newark, New Jersey,
effective on April 25, 2003. Mr. McKeown was bumped again and
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