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July 29, 2004
Today's sponsor: DATAIR Employee Benefit Systems, Inc.

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(Please visit our sponsors. We try to make sure their products and services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor)
United Airlines Union Sues Over Pension Contributions
Excerpt: "The union representing United Airlines ramp workers and customer-service agents sued the company's top executives in federal court Thursday over their decision to halt contributions to its employee pension funds while United remains in bankruptcy." (AP via Washington Post; one-time registration required)

Text of Compliant by Machinists' Union Against United Airlines (PDF)
11 pages. (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois)

NPR Coverage: United Airlines Seeks to Suspend Pension Contributions
Excerpt: "United Airlines will try to convince federal regulators Thursday to approve its decision to suspend pension fund contributions. Another group of regulators has already said the carrier's move may be illegal. The airline has been struggling to emerge from bankruptcy for 19 months. Hear NPR's Cheryl Corley." (National Public Radio)

Union Balks at United Pension Funding Halt
Excerpt: "United Airlines' decision to stop funding its employee pension funds in bankruptcy stirred further turmoil Wednesday when a union leader who also serves as a company director said he would boycott United's impending pension deliberations." (AP via New York Times; one-time registration required)

Opinion: No Pension? UAL Might Live Without It
Excerpt: "If United Airlines' unions still think the company might be able to maintain current pension benefits, it would suggest they are in denial. The United retirement system has turned into one big poison pill." (http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000039&refer=columnist_levin&sid=aLy5bWPn.NAU)

Airline Woes Threaten PBGC
Excerpt: "Some fear other airlines with underfunded pensions could follow suit. The PBGC says 11 companies in the sector have $31 billion in underfunding in plans covering 444,000 people." (Reuters via New York Times; one-time registration required)

ERISA Did Not Bar Court From Ordering That Pension Benefits Be Used To Satisfy Judgment
ERISA's anti-alienation provision did not preclude a court from issuing an order directing that an individual's pension benefits be used to satisfy a judgment entered in a criminal case. This was the decision of the First Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Hoult v. Hoult (No. 02-2128). (Spencer Benefits Reports)

The Effect of State-Legalized Same-Sex Marriage on Social Security Benefits and Pensions (PDF)
5 pages; 7/28/04. Excerpt: "Federal employee pensions and private-sector pensions regulated by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) are required to provide certain benefits to the spouse of a participant in the event of the participant's death. Under the Defense of Marriage Act, both federal pensions and private-sector pensions regulated by ERISA are required to define a spouse only as 'a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife.'" (Congressional Research Service of the U.S. Library of Congress)

Chart: Private Industry Workers Participating in Retirement Plans, 1990 - 2003
Excerpt: "At the beginning of the 1990s, defined benefit pensions and defined contribution plans each covered about one-third of private industry workers. By 2003, defined contribution plans covered about twice as many workers as did defined benefit pensions: 40 percent compared with 20 percent." (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor)

Italian Wins a Crucial Vote on Pensions
Excerpt: "The pension plan aims to scale down Italy's generous state provisions and cut the country's vast debt. Economists have warned that given current birth rates, Italy will not be able to sustain its current [public] pension system." (AP via New York Times; one-time registration required)

Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General

Wages, Benefits Rose Moderately in Second Quarter of 2004
Excerpt: "Wages and benefits for U.S. workers rose a moderate 0.9 percent in the April-June quarter this year, down slightly from the previous quarter's increase, as price pressures for benefits like health insurance eased significantly." (Washington Post; one-time registration required)

Newly Posted Events

Fearless and Persuasive Speaking
Nationwide on August 1, 2004
presented by HRTrainingCenter.com

Integrating FMLA, ADA, COBRA & Workers' Comp Training & Certification Program w/ Manual and E-Alerts
Nationwide on August 1, 2004
presented by HRTrainingCenter.com

IRS HSA Guidance
Nationwide on August 3, 2004
presented by National Association of Professional Benefit Administrators (NAPBA)

Measuring Return on Investment from HR Initiatives
Nationwide on September 9, 2004
presented by HRTrainingCenter.com

Online COBRA Seminar
Nationwide on August 12, 2004
presented by HRTrainingCenter.com

Retirement Update With Sal Tripodi
in Indiana on August 24, 2004
presented by Central Indiana Chapter - ISCEBS

Setting and Managing 2005 Compensation Conference
in New York on September 19, 2004
presented by HRTrainingCenter.com

SouthWest Benefits Association 30th Annual Conference
in Texas on May 4, 2005
presented by SouthWest Benefits Association

SouthWest Benefits Association/Internal Revenue Service Plan Administration Skills Workshop
in Texas on February 6, 2004
presented by SouthWest Benefits Association

SouthWest Benefits Association/Internal Revenue Service Plan Administration Skills Workshop
in Texas on February 25, 2004
presented by SouthWest Benefits Association

SouthWest Benefits Association/Internal Revenue Service Plan Administration Skills Workshop
in Oklahoma on May 18, 2004
presented by SouthWest Benefits Association

The Fundamentals Of Workers’ Compensation
Nationwide on July 29, 2004
presented by HRTrainingCenter.com

The PHR / SPHR Recertification Suite
Nationwide on July 30, 2004
presented by HRTrainingCenter.com
Newly Posted Press Releases

Treasury Guidance Clears Much Confusion On HSA Issues
(Employers Council on Flexible Compensation (ECFC))

Jet Aviation Gets A Lift From Ceridian With 401(k), FSA Administration
(Ceridian)

Long-Term Care Book Provides Direction for Employers
(International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans)

Multiemployer Investment Policy Guidebook Helps Trustees and Fiduciaries Make Investment Policy Decisions
(International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans)

Defined Contribution Decisions: The Education Challenge Addresses New Responsibility for Participant Education
(International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Post a Help Wanted Ad

Retirement Account Manager
for Charles W. Cammack Associates, Inc.
in

Account Executive Director - Retirement Services
for Principal Financial Group
in TX

Retirement Benefits Analyst
for Lowe's Companies, Inc.
in NC

SENIOR PENSION ANALYST (Winston-Salem, NC)
for First Charter Bank/Southeastern Employee Benefit Services
in NC

Daily 401(k) Plan Administrator
for The Newport Group of North Carolina
in NC

Pension Representative
for Directors Guild of America - Producer Pension and Health Plans
in CA

Finance Director
for RSM McGladrey
in NC

Pension Administrator
for Stephen H. Rosen & Associates, Inc.
in NJ

Educator - 401(k) Enrollment Specialist
for a National Premier Provider of 401(k) Meetings
in ANY STATE

Internal Wholesaler
for Principal Financial Group
in CA

Senior Relationship Manager
for Principal Financial Group
in IL

Employee Benefit Services Analyst
for Marsh
in NV

Employee Benefits Attorney
for Leading business Law Firm in Mid-Atlantic Region in PA
in PA

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