Big layoff from major corp. Severance issue

My husband has worked for a major corp. for 14 years. Recently, his company is going to downsize and close his branch. The deal was that employees who are made an offer to relocate and they do not accept the position will receive a severance package. If an employee is not offered a job, then that employee will also receive a severance package. However, this is how my husband's situation is unique. He was not offered a severance package instead he was offered a job at a sister company for the same pay, but it's not a job that he's interested in doing. They have told him if he refuses the job, then technically he has resigned and therefore is not eligible for severance. To me this appears like blackmail. He either accepts a job he doesn't want or he quits and gets nothing. This is totally different then what every other employee is being offered. This doesn't seem right. Just because the company knows of another job with another company doesn't mean that he should be "forced" to take a job just because there is one. Do we have some recourse here?M