TheRepublic.com - Employee benefits News

Some unions now angry about health care overhaul

Fri, 24 May 2013 03:52:25 -0400

WASHINGTON - When President Barack Obama pushed his health care overhaul plan through Congress, he counted labor unions among his strongest supporters.

Applications for US unemployment aid fall to 340K

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:39:09 -0400

WASHINGTON - The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell 23,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 340,000, a level consistent with solid job growth.

Nightclub owners dispute workers' comp finding

Wed, 22 May 2013 05:23:34 -0400

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island - The owners of the Station nightclub say they didn't know they needed to buy workers' compensation insurance for the club's part-time employees.

Ex-state worker charged with workers' comp fraud

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:20:55 -0400

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A former Alaska state employee and his supposed masseuse are accused of worker's compensation fraud.

Bargaining over health benefits narrowed

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:49:04 -0400

MADISON, Wisconsin - Public safety workers could collectively bargain over their health insurance premiums but not other costs of their plan under action taken by the Legislature's budget committee.

AP IMPACT: Military sex abuse victims seek VA help

Mon, 20 May 2013 03:42:27 -0400

WASHINGTON - More than 85,000 veterans were treated last year for injuries or illness stemming from sexual abuse in the military, and 4,000 sought disability benefits, underscoring the staggering long-term impact of a crisis that has roiled the Pentagon and been condemned by President Barack Obama as "''shameful and disgraceful."

State workers anxious as lawmakers debate pensions

Sun, 19 May 2013 11:48:17 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - An Illinois agency manager might have to delay retirement. A former university secretary wonders if she'll have to cancel vacations. A state office assistant fears he won't be able to afford the medical care his wife needs.

NH health insurance agents keeping options open

Sat, 18 May 2013 15:35:40 -0400

CONCORD, New Hampshire - In a recent survey, more than half of New Hampshire's insurance agents said they will sign up to sell plans through the new marketplaces required under the federal health overhaul law - but how many actually follow through will depend on whether it's worth their while financially.

Mo. lawmakers pass changes to workers' comp claims

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:32:56 -0400

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri - Missouri lawmakers gave final approval Thursday to a measure that would double the fees charged to businesses in order to replenish an insolvent fund for disabled workers who suffer serious job-related injuries or illnesses.

Mo. House roll call on workers' compensation bill

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:32:42 -0400

The Missouri House voted 135-23 Thursday to give final approval to legislation that would replenish a fund for disabled workers and change the way people are compensated for job-related illnesses.

Retired couples may need $220K for health care

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:43:13 -0400

WASHINGTON - After years of increasing health care costs, the outlook is improving for seniors worried about paying their medical bills during retirement.

Okla. AG plans workers compensation fraud workshop

Tue, 14 May 2013 05:10:18 -0400

DUNCAN, Oklahoma - The Oklahoma Attorney General's Office is planning a Workers' Compensation Fraud Workshop.

Plan would return $113M to Ohio schools, cities

Mon, 13 May 2013 12:48:57 -0400

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Local governments and schools in Ohio could see almost $113 million in rebates from the state insurance fund for injured workers under a proposal from the governor.

Del. workers compensation panel releases report

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:19:03 -0400

DOVER, Delaware - A state panel examining soaring workers compensation rates in Delaware is recommending that the state implement a two-year inflation freeze on medical providers' fee schedules.

After 'difficult' talks, AT&T, union OK new pact

Sat, 11 May 2013 13:04:41 -0400

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut - The Communications Workers of America and AT&T have reached a tentative four-year contract agreement that boosts pay by nearly 11 percent for 3,200 land line phone workers in Connecticut.

Oregon gets first peek at health insurance market

Fri, 10 May 2013 17:40:36 -0400

PORTLAND, Oregon - This is what competition looks like: One health insurer wants to charge $169 a month next year to cover a 40-year-old Portland-area non-smoker. Another wants $422 a month for the same standard plan.

4 Constellium workers file complaint again union

Fri, 10 May 2013 12:58:07 -0400

RAVENSWOOD, West Virginia - Four workers at a Ravenswood aluminum plant have filed unfair labor practice charges against a union stemming from a strike last summer.

Senate committee passes union-backed pension plan

Wed, 08 May 2013 19:52:15 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - A Senate committee approved a union-backed approach for dealing with Illinois' pension crisis Wednesday, saying it gives the state its best chance at surviving an inevitable court challenge and getting out of its nearly $100 billion mess.

NYC employees' pension divests from gun companies

Wed, 08 May 2013 15:05:33 -0400

NEW YORK - The pension fund for New York City employees has sold all stock it held in gun and ammunition companies.

SC officers to again pay more for pensions in 2014

Wed, 08 May 2013 13:35:19 -0400

COLUMBIA, South Carolina - South Carolina's law enforcement officers and firefighters will again be required to put a higher percentage of their salaries toward their retirement benefits than other public workers.

Court weighs release of Nevada retirement records

Wed, 08 May 2013 13:12:18 -0400

CARSON CITY, Nevada - The Nevada Supreme Court is weighing whether the Public Employee Retirement System should be compelled to release the names and benefits of retired public workers as sought by a Reno newspaper.

Bill on politicians' pensions fails Ariz. Senate

Tue, 07 May 2013 20:31:16 -0400

PHOENIX - A bill supported by top Republican legislative leaders that would replace pensions for new judges and other elected officials with a 401(k)-style retirement plan failed in the Arizona Senate on Tuesday.

Conn. legislature mulls worker retirement access

Tue, 07 May 2013 18:58:45 -0400

HARTFORD, Connecticut - Connecticut's private sector workers would have access to state-run retirement plans under legislation moving through the General Assembly with the support of majority Democrats, but questioned by skeptical Republicans who say the state should stay out of private investment decisions.

Governor signs workers' comp legislation

Tue, 07 May 2013 17:10:16 -0400

CLARKSVILLE, Tennessee - Gov. Bill Haslam has signed a measure to change the way the state considers injured workers' claims.

State sues former lawmaker over workers' insurance

Tue, 07 May 2013 09:41:09 -0400

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho - The Idaho Industrial Commission has filed a lawsuit against a former state lawmaker from northern Idaho over unpaid workers' compensation insurance.