Employment Newsletters

Arbitration -- Labor Agreements -- Substantive Arbitrability

In addition to wages, hours, and benefits, one of the fundamental elements of the labor agreement between a company and a union is the procedure for filing a grievance. Grievance procedures refer to the process by which employers and employees deal with disputes over contract terms, disciplinary actions, and terminations. Based on the nature of the issue and the level of disagreement, these procedures range from simply filing a complaint to a full-blown lawsuit. Somewhere in the middle is arbitration.

Churches and State Employment Law Liability

Employment Law Liability Overview

War Hazards Compensation Act

Congress passed the War Hazards Compensation Act (WHCA) in 1942 to provide benefits to employees of government contractors or their survivors for injuries or deaths stemming from war-risk hazards. The WHCA also reimburses insurance carriers for any workers' compensation benefits paid by the carriers to these employees or survivors. The WHCA replaces wages lost by employees who are held as prisoners of war. It also presumes that missing persons are totally disabled.

ERISA-Exempt Benefit Plans

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act imposes responsibilities on employers who offer benefit plans to their employees and provides certain rules and regulations concerning the administration of the plans. The rules that govern plans differ depending on the type of plan offered by the employer. Some plans, however, are not governed by ERISA and are called "exempt plans."

Employee Benefit Plans

The most basic disclosure requirement that applies to a pension plan provides for individual benefit statements to plan participants and beneficiaries.