Women, Retirement, and Money: Closing the Gap
While retirement savings rates among women are catching up to those of men, the average salary deferral rate for women still lags behind those of their male counterparts. Click here to read more.
Category: Benefits and Compensation
This topic provides guidance on how to handle compensation issues in a way that attracts and retains the best talent and advances the strategic goals of your business. You get news and tips on what’s going on nationally and in the states, and updates on changes in regulations, possible governmental action, and emerging compensation trends.
TPA Faces State-law Claims for Improper Release of Patient Data
A third-party administrator faces California health privacy and unfair business practices charges for allegedly handing over a plan participant’s case management information to an employer, which then terminated her to avoid paying for her impending liver transplant. The TPA’s arguments for ERISA preemption failed because the plan participant’s state-law action could have been brought in […]
Almost 250,000 Public Comments on Proposed Overtime Rules
By Susan Prince, JD, Legal Editor The public comment period for the Department of Labor’s (DOL) proposed changes to the overtime regulations ended on September 4th, 2015. Almost 250,000 comments were received, which represent the diverse views on the proposed changes—particularly the steep increase to the salary level required for exemption.
Verizon Pension Buyout Not Illegal, 5th Circuit Rules
A federal appellate court affirmed the legality of Verizon Communications Inc.’s 2012 decision to offload more than $7 billion in pension obligations, in a ruling that lent further support for popular pension derisking measures. In Lee. v. Verizon, 2015 WL 4880972 (5th Cir., Aug. 17, 2015), two classes of plaintiffs — retirees whose benefits management […]
Misclassification Woes: At The Wheel, But Not In the Driver’s Seat
Jasmin Rojas, JD, Legal Editor Many consumers appreciate the simplicity and the usually significantly lower cost of using Uber as a means of transportation. However, the line between Uber’s services and those of a traditional taxi (where the driver is usually an employee) is one that is incredibly blurred.
‘Cadillac Tax’ A Target of the Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act served dessert first, offering subsidized health coverage across the country before some of its less popular provisions were scheduled to take effect. But the government soon will start asking the country to eat its vegetables as cost-control measures phase in — and a lot of powerful lobbies are going to fight […]
Bowing to Demands of Wall Street, Walmart Cuts Hours to Trim Costs
After raising the minimum wage for its lowest compensated workers, Walmart is now cutting some workers’ hours to try to trim costs. Click here to read more.
Scraping Together for Long Term Care Costs
As an employer of choice, you take time and effort to help your employees face the challenges that inevitably come along. Even (or maybe especially) for those who have diligently saved for retirement and kept themselves healthy to minimize their healthcare costs, there is one more danger lurking in the shadows: The cost of long-term […]
Executive Pay: Different Generations, Different Pay Structures
You may have read about different generations and how they view their work and their lives. The differences in their viewpoints, not to mention which attributes they seek as they decide on a job or a career, are significant. What does all this have to do with executive pay? Click here to read more.
Impact of Obergefell v. Hodges on Healthcare Coverage for Same-Sex Couples
In a 5-4 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges released on June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court held that same-sex marriage is a fundamental right guaranteed by the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution, expanding the right to gay marriage to the remaining 13 states that had not previously allowed it. Read more.