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News Notes: Court Tosses Out Class-Action Suit Against State Fund

Following a 113-day trial, a San Francisco judge threw out a $1.1 billion class-action lawsuit charging State Compensation Insurance Fund, the state’s largest workers’ comp insurer, with unfair claims reserving and business practices. The suit alleged that from 1989 to 1995, State Fund maintained an illegal claims reserving standard, overcharging its policyholders. The judge’s written […]

Comments Sought on Proposed Changes to Form I-9

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is inviting public comment on proposed revisions to Form I-9, the form all U.S. employers are required to keep on employees to document that they are eligible to work in the United States. Comments will be accepted until May 29. Key revisions to the form include: Expanded Form […]

IRS Notice Provides Relief Regarding Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plans

The IRS recently issued Notice 2007-100, which gives employers an opportunity to correct unintentional operational mistakes concerning nonqualified deferred compensation plans. Internal Revenue Code Section 409A, which covers these plans, specifies the manner in which they must be reported to avoid premature taxation. The notice gives employers the opportunity to self-correct unintentional operational errors—the failure […]

Arbitration: High Court Says Employers Can Require Workers To Arbitrate Employment Disputes; Make Sure Your Agreements Will Hold Up

State and federal courts have grappled for years with the question of whether employers can compel workers to submit their employment disputes to arbitration. Now, in a major victory for employers, the U.S. Supreme Court has cleared up the confusion, giving employers the go-ahead to use mandatory arbitration agreements. The high court decision, coupled with […]

There Are Headaches, There Are Migraines, and Then There Are FMLA Headaches

Although proposed changes to the FMLA may alleviate some of the pain, FMLA headaches will not go away anytime soon. Today’s expert shares some workplace-tested remedies. Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) management isn’t such a headache if you work out your policies carefully, publicize them to employees, and enforce them consistently, says Beverly Kish, […]

Asset Rallies May Not Stem Soaring Pension Liabilities, Report Says

If it seemed to you that investment and funding decisions for your defined benefit plan in 2012 were at odds with each other, you weren’t alone. In its annual report on DB plans, global employee benefits consultant Towers Watson says that in 2012, once again there were many investment contradictions for U.S. DB plan sponsors: […]

Election results halt minimum wage initiatives in two Maine cities

by Connor Beatty On November 3, voters in Portland and Bangor rejected attempts to raise the minimum wage in those cities. In Portland, voters rejected a proposal that would have increased the city’s minimum wage to $15 per hour. The ordinance would have required all businesses and franchises employing 500 or more employees to raise […]

Meal Periods

This meal period deal is driving me nuts. The workers on our assembly line usually work 6-hour shifts. Most of the crew want to work through the meal break, and we’d like that too—more productivity. But we have a few who insist on their meal break. And we can’t run the assembly line without the […]

Holidays PTO Survey: How Sick Leave May Be Used

Sick days may be used by employees to care for (check all that apply):   Dependent Child Parent Other Exempt Employees 418 (92%) 356 (78.4%) 249 (54.8%) Nonexempt Employees 408 (89.9%) 345 (76%) 238 (52.4%)   Previous       Next

‘Through’ Fund Strategy May Serve Near-retirees Best, Vanguard Says

While most U.S. retirement plan participants age 60 or older move their assets out of employer plans within five years of leaving a company, they often don’t touch the funds for years after that, a new report by money manager Vanguard found. As a result, Vanguard suggests to plan sponsors, this tendency of older terminated […]