Company is selling part of business that I work for - do I have to transfer for less money to new

I work for Caterpillar in Morton, Illinois. The part of the company that I work for is being sold to an external entity. They are moving us to a new location in July and the sale is to be final by end of September. If the new company offers to keep us employed but for less money do I have to take the job? Is it possible to still have unemployment if I do not take the job? The expense to getting to the new location will be more and the hazards of winter travel more extreme. Caterpillar has also stated that they are not allowing anyone to move into other Caterpillar jobs however, there are 4 people that have moved to positions that are not endangered. When I asked the question about why they were allowed to post and accept new positions I was told that they posted for the job before the news was released about the sale. I cannot prove when they did or did not post.


Cathy Trotter