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Giant, Safeway workers approve new contract
Safeway and Giant Food workers in the Baltimore-Washington region have approved a new contract with wage increases. The United Food and Commercial Workers announced approval Tuesday of the agreement that also maintains key benefits and strengthens retirement security. The new contract increases health care coverage without additional co-pays. Local 27, which represents workers in central […[...]
Mohler joins Employee One
Hugh Mohler has joined Employe One Benefits Solutions in Columbia, a benefits and consulting firm owned by his cousin, Brenndan Mohler. Mohler is a former CEO of Bay National Bank and a Wells Fargo Executive. Employee One advises mid-size and large-scale business operations, but also partners with companies that have as few as 50 employees.
Fewer seek U.S. unemployment aid, tying a 4-year low
WASHINGTON — Fewer people sought U.S. unemployment benefits last week, adding to signs that the job market is strengthening. Applications for unemployment aid dropped 14,000 to a seasonally adjusted 351,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. That matches a four-year low reached last month. The four-week average, which smooths fluctuations, was unchanged at 355,750. Applications have […]
Federal deal trims maximum jobless benefits to 73 weeks
WASHINGTON — Unemployed workers would no longer be able to claim 99 weeks of benefit checks by this summer under a deal being worked out in Congress. Under this week’s compromise for extending a Social Security tax cut through the rest of 2012, federal unemployment benefits for people who have been out of work more […]
U.S. unemployment claims fall to lowest since 2008
WASHINGTON — The number of people seeking unemployment benefits plummeted last week to 352,000, the fewest since April 2008. The decline added to evidence that the job market is strengthening. Applications fell 50,000, the biggest drop in the seasonally adjusted figure in more than six years, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week average, which […]
Twinkies maker Hostess seeks bankruptcy protection
NEW YORK — Hostess Brands Inc., the maker of Twinkies and Wonder Bread, is seeking bankruptcy protection, blaming its pension and medical benefits obligations, increased competition and tough economic conditions. The filing on Wednesday comes just two years after a predecessor company emerged from bankruptcy proceedings. That company, called Interstate Bakeries and based in Kansas […]
Fewer Americans sought unemployment aid last week
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell further last week, ending the year on a three-month run of declines that point to stronger hiring in 2012. Weekly applications dropped by 15,000 to a seasonally adjusted 372,000 last week, the Labor Department said. That’s 11 percent lower than the same time last year […]
Justice Dept. reports record false claims recoveries
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is reporting it has recovered nearly $9 billion in fraud against the government since the beginning of the Obama administration, a record three-year total. The $3 billion recovered this year included an unprecedented $2.8 billion raised after whistle blowers filed lawsuits for false claims for government money or property such […]
States get say on health benefits in Obama’s law
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration Friday rolled out a benefits framework for millions of people who will get private insurance through the health care overhaul, but states will decide the specifics. Under the new law, the federal government must set a basic benefits package for private insurance. That’s tricky territory for the administration, which is […]
Congress weighing length of jobless benefits
WASHINGTON — Congress is looking at the downside of letting jobless people collect up to almost two years of unemployment benefits. While the benefits are a crucial lifeline for the long-term unemployed, economists worry they also can be a disincentive to looking for work and actually prolong joblessness. Republicans have passed a bill in the […]
The true benefit of bar membership
To say that I am active in bar associations would be an understatement. I’m a bar junkie. I know it. I enjoy going to bar association meetings. I like meeting other attorneys (especially when they are not opposing counsel to a case). I have fun at the MSBA Annual Meeting and look forward to a […]
Marianne D. Fishler: Study all of your options for long-term care
A friend of mine recently moved his elderly mother into an assisted living facility. It was a difficult decision for the family to make, but a necessary one given the human and financial resources required for her to continue to live on her own. This scenario is played out daily in families all across the […]
