United Steelworkers of America, Afl-Cio v. Canron, Inc., and Warren Pipe & Foundry Division

OPINION OF THE COURT

ROSENN, Circuit Judge.

The Supreme Court recently decided that an employer may be required to arbitrate a dispute over severance pay even though the dispute, governed by the arbitration article of .a collective bargaining agreement, arises after the contract’s expiration. Nolde Brothers v. Bakery & Confectionery Workers Union, 430 U.S. 243, 97 S.Ct. 1067, 51 L.Ed.2d 300 (1977). This case presents a converse situation. The principal issue presented on this appeal is whether an employer may be required to arbitrate a dispute over medical and health insurance premium payments…