Hey guys,
I need help understanding this statement. There are two ways I can see it play out.
What do you guys think?
Argument 1:
"Seniority shall lapse only for the following reasons: Resignation, discharge for sufficient and just cause; and absences as a result of a disability, sickness or accident, for a period of twenty-four(24) consecutive months."
Reason 1: Resignation, discharge for sufficient and just cause;
(Quitting or being fired for a just cause)
Reason 2: and absences as a result of a disability, sickness or accident, for a period of twenty-four(24) consecutive months.
(Being out of work due to a disability, sickness or accident longer than 24 months)
Comma- a punctuation mark (,) indicating a pause between parts of a sentence. It is also used to separate items in a list and to mark the place of thousands in a large numeral.
Semi-colon- a punctuation mark (;) indicating a pause, typically between two main clauses, that is more pronounced than that indicated by a comma.
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/semicolon/
Watch this video, my point is from 1:15 – 1:35. It explains that it is a serial list which means explains that reason 1 is separate from reason 2”
Argument 2
“Seniority shall lapse only for the following reason: resignation,discharge for sufficient and just cause; and absences as a result of a disability, sickness or accident, for a period of twenty-four (24) consecutive months.”
(A)Seniority shall lapse----> (B)R, DSJC and; RD, S or A, for a period of 24 months
My argument is that “, for a period of twenty-four consecutive months” modifies the entire necessary condition. If one left for any reason stated in the necessary condition then they’re entitled to seniority as long as it’s with in 24 months.
I hear you, and that's why I decided to pursue it. If it works out to my benefit, why not? It's one thing if the statement was clear as day, but clearly, it's not. Thank you for your input.