Are guaranteed hours really guaranteed?

Guaranteed hours sounds great in this economy, right? However, seeing that phrase in your contract does not necessarily mean what you think it means. Nor does it substitute for reading the rest of your contract.

The Association legal counsel assisted a member in December who had such a phrase not only in his main contract, but also on his assignment letter (sometimes called an addendum) where the details of the specific assignment are found. Despite the "guaranteed hours" language that he thought protected him,