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Pensions

PBGC Reaches New Agreement with Sears

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) and Sears Holdings Corporation have reached a new agreement that will provide, upon closing, approximately $500 million in funding for Sears’ two pension plans, including contributions already made by Sears since August 2017. The pension plans cover about 100,000 participants. Closing on the agreement should occur in about 3 […]

Train Workers to Prevent Falls This Spring

Craig Galecka is a fall protection specialist with LJB, Inc., a facilities and infrastructure design firm in Dayton, Ohio. Galecka is a professional engineer and certified safety professional. He designs conceptual and final fall-hazard solutions for public and private clients. Recent projects include an assessment of 40 Michigan government buildings for roof fall hazards and […]

Offering Training Works for Big Brands, How Can It Work for You?

Salary and benefits are often what come top of mind when thinking about what employees value most in a job. That’s certainly not surprising. The ability to make a living is important to us all. And, in fact, according to an article by Forbes, salary and benefits do top the list for most employees.

Sponsored Foreign National Workers: How One HR Manager Navigates the Challenges

When labor shortages or specific skill sets are required, many organizations turn to foreign nationals to build their workforce. In recent years, however, that landscape has changed. More intense vetting, longer application processes, and fewer slots for visa workers all contribute to a more challenging foreign national work arrangement.

Ask the Expert: Disability Insurance and Medical Expenses

Can you explain how our medical benefits work with disability insurance? When does medical insurance terminate for an employee who is not working due to a short or long term disability? Does disability insurance cover any of the employee’s medical expenses? (We are covered with a private disability insurance, not through SDI).

Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction

Here is an interesting one. Earlier this week, the mayor of a small town in Oregon was fired after the town learned that there were pictures on the Internet of their esteemed leader posing in front of a fire truck in a black lace bra and panty set. The photographs were taken before she was […]

Hiring Overqualified? What Could Go Wrong?

It follows that you want to hire the best, right? Wouldn’t it be great for new hires to be extremely well qualified? After all, isn’t it good for the organization if the new hires have skill sets that go beyond what they need for their current role?

The Strike Continues

Well, the strike of the writers’ union continues.  I don’t do that much traditional labor work so I’ve asked my colleague, Jerry Coker, to help me out as he is the firm guru on all things traditional labor.  He is also a huge fan of the show.  Here is what Jerry had to say: Nothing too funny about a […]

Employee Handbooks: The Importance of Signed Acknowledgements

By Guest Columnist: Bridget Miller Requiring employees to sign an acknowledgement stating that they’ve received, read, and understood the employee handbook may seem arduous, especially if it’s done every time there is an update to the handbook. But this task is more than a mere formality—it serves an important purpose for employers: it is documentation […]