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By Daniel C. Stockford While voters handily reelected both of Maine’s Democratic representatives to the U.S. House of Representatives, a sea change occurred at the state level as the governorship and the legislature apparently have switched from Democratic to Republican control. In a surprisingly close governor’s race, Republican Paul LePage appears to have narrowly held […]
The average 401(k) account balance at the end of 2012 was 8.4 percent higher than the year before, but increased assets weren’t typical for all defined contribution plan participants studied, according to a December 2013 brief by the Employee Benefit Research Institute. While equity investments through stock mutual funds comprised the bulk of 401(k) assets […]
Last year, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with a lower court’s decision to certify a sex discrimination class action lawsuit filed against Wal-Mart on behalf of up to 2 million current and former female employees. Last month, the Ninth Circuit has now reaffirmed its ruling, thus putting the suit one step closer to […]
In California, an employer with 25 or more employees is prohibited from discharging or in any way discriminating or retaliating against an employee who is a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault because that person takes time off from work for any of these reasons: to seek medical attention for injuries caused by the […]
A new bill introduced in the state Legislature would expand the antiharassment provisions of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) to require employers to protect workers from harassment by clients and customers. A.B. 76 is a response to a recent court ruling that employers aren’t liable under the FEHA for harassment by clients […]
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a proposed regulation for assessing fines against plan administrators who fail to disclose certain documents to participants, beneficiaries, and others as required by the Pension Protection Act (PPA), which amended the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.
In a public meeting held in Sacramento on January 10, 2003, the California Industrial Welfare Commission rejected a petition to boost the minimum wage to $8 per hour. Despite this action, state lawmakers will likely introduce legislation during the new legislative session to raise the minimum wage. And labor representatives stated that they plan to […]