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Pension Plans: County Pension Calculation Ruling Is Retroactive; Huge Costs for Employers

Several years ago, the California Supreme Court ruled that under the County Employees’ Retirement Law, counties have to include all types of monetary compensation-such as cash payments for bilingual premium pay, a uniform allowance, or cashed-out accrued vacation-when determining the amount on which an employee’s pension will be based.But some plan members took their counties […]

Safety: DOL Offers Nine Tips for Safe Holiday Parties

If you’re planning a holiday party for employees, be sure to check out the U.S. Department of Labor’s Working Partners for an Alcohol- and Drug-Free Workplace website, which offers nine important tips for planning a safe holiday party and preventing impaired driving.

News Notes: Employee Benefits Data Now Available

The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics has just released a new survey showing the latest trends in employee benefits. The study describes what medium and large private employers offer in terms of paid leave, health and retirement benefits, and life insurance, and it provides a useful benchmarkfor comparing your own employee benefit plans. When it […]

Health Care Reform: COBRA notices changed; special enrollment opportunity created

Due to some ambiguity in model government language explaining the interplay of the Affordable Care Act with COBRA coverage, the Obama administration has both proposed an update to model COBRA notices and provided a new special enrollment opportunity for COBRA qualified beneficiaries (QBs) to enroll in marketplace coverage. Last year, the U.S. Department of Labor […]

Federal DOMA Unconstitutional, First Circuit Says, But Doesn’t Disturb State Laws

Employers and plan administrators hoping clarity will soon dispel the confusing tangle of divergent laws governing same-sex marriage and how they must address it in their benefit plans and HR policies have longer to wait. The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on May 31 issued a ruling in Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. U.S. Department […]

News Flash: San Francisco Unveils Compromise Living Wage Proposal

In an effort to head off a sweeping living wage initiative in the November election, San Francisco has negotiated an alternative proposal with business and labor groups that would boost wages for thousands of low-paid workers. If the plan is adopted, San Francisco would be the 46th municipality in the nation to require a living […]