Section 70 ILCS 3615/2.18 - Labor Contracts(a) The Authority shall deal with and enter into written contracts with employees of the Authority, through accredited representatives of such employees authorized to act for such employees concerning wages, salaries, hours, working conditions, and pension or retirement provisions. Nothing in this Act shall be construed, however, to permit hours of labor in excess of those prohibited by law or to permit working conditions prohibited by law.(b) Whenever the Authority acquires the public transportation facilities of a transportation agency, either in proceeding by eminent domain or otherwise, and operates such facilities, all employees actively engaged in the operation thereof shall be transferred to and appointed as employees of the Authority, subject to all the rights and benefits of Sections 2.15 through 2.19, and the Authority shall assume and observe all applicable labor contracts and pension obligations. These employees shall be given seniority credit and sick leave, vacation, insurance, and pension credits in accordance with the records or labor agreements from the acquired transportation system. Members and beneficiaries of any pension or retirement system or other benefits established by the acquired transportation system shall continue to have rights, privileges, benefits, obligations and status with respect to such established system. The Authority shall assume the obligations of any transportation system acquired by it with regard to wages, salaries, hours, working conditions, sick leave, health and welfare and pension or retirement provisions for these employees. The Authority and the employees, through their representatives for collective bargaining purposes, shall take whatever action may be necessary to have pension trust funds presently under the joint control of such Transportation Agency and the participating employees through their representatives transferred to the trust funds to be established, maintained, and administered jointly by the Authority and the participating employees through their representatives.(c) Whenever the Authority shall take any of the actions specified in Section 2.16 (c), it shall do so only after meeting the requirements of Section 2.16, and in addition, whenever the Authority shall acquire and operate the public transportation facilities of a transportation agency engaged in the transportation of persons by railroad, it shall do so only in such manner as to insure the continued applicability to the railroad employees affected thereby of the provisions of all federal statutes then applicable to them and a continuation of their existing collective bargaining agreements until the provisions of said agreements can be re-negotiated by representatives of the Authority and the representatives of said employees duly designated as such pursuant to the terms and provisions of the Railway Labor Act, as amended (45 U.S.C. 151 et seq.); provided, however, that nothing in this subsection shall prevent the abandonment of such facilities, or the discontinuance of such operations pursuant to applicable law, or the substitution of other operations or facilities for such operations or facilities, whether by merger, consolidation, coordination or otherwise. In the event new or supplemental operations or facilities are substituted therefor, the provisions of Section 2.19 shall be applicable, and all questions concerning the selection of forces to perform the work of such new or supplemental facilities or operations, and whether the Authority shall be required to insure the continued applicability of the federal statutes applicable to such employees shall be negotiated and, if necessary, arbitrated, in accordance with the procedures set forth in subsection 2.19 (a).