Cost-Containment

Opponents of new restrictions on unions in Kansas have blocked a debate by the state Senate on preventing labor organizations from financing their political activities with dues deducted from members' paychecks.

With cuts to health benefits plans, employers are looking for ways to add value to employees. And one way to do that is by offering more voluntary benefits.

Assurant Employee Benefits is promoting its new “FastTrack Return-to-Work Solutions” program as a tool insurance companies can use to improve its claim triage and return-to-work programs.

Among the alphabet soup of options available during open enrollment, there is a category of workplace benefits that provides a direct return every time an employee makes a contribution – pre-tax benefits, such as flexible spending accounts for health care, dependent care and commuting costs.

More than 3,000 Alabama workers have filed for unemployment compensation benefits because the tornadoes April 27 knocked them out of work, and that could cause a slight increase of about one-tenth of a percentage point in the state's unemployment rate.

Legal and policy issues linger on pension legislation as Kansas lawmakers prepare to vote on a compromise plan for attacking the long-term funding problems facing the state retirement system for teachers and government workers.

Republican Gov. Rick Scott is calling his first legislative session a success, pointing at tax cuts, changes to the Medicaid program, education bills, a measure requiring state employees to pay into their pensions and more as victories that will make Florida more attractive for businesses.

v. Dannel P. Malloy on Thursday gave his negotiators and union leaders more time to discuss $2 billion in labor savings, putting off — for now — issuing the threatened first round of layoff notices to about 4,000 Connecticut workers a day before they were to go out.