Deals and People April 9, 2003

Chao Makes ERISA Council Appointments

April 9, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - US Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao tapped seven people to serve on the Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans and appointed the group's 2003 leadership.
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Named to three year terms on the group, also known as the ERISA Advisory Council, were:

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  • Mary Maguire of New York City, corporate trust, a consultant with Davis Consulting in New York City and a former partner with EBUSINESSWARE, Inc.
  • R. Todd Gardenhire of Chattanooga, Tennessee; investment management; senior vice president of investments at Salomon Smith Barney since 1987 and assistant vice president at Merrill Lynch prior to that.
  • Mark Bongard of Lexington, Kentucky; employer representative; a senior benefits attorney for Ashland, Inc., a Kentucky company with 22,000 employees that provides petroleum, chemical and highway construction products and services.
  • Thomas Nyhan of Rosemont, Illinois; employee organizations; general counsel of the Central States, Southeast and Southwest and Welfare and Pension Funds
  • Antoinette Pilzner of Detroit, Michigan; general public; a practicing employee benefits attorney with Butzel Long, a Michigan law firm.

Filling Unexpired Terms

Two new members were also appointed to fill one-year remaining unexpired terms. They are Donald Trone of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who will replace Shlomo Benartzi as the investment counseling field representative, and John Miller of Los Angeles as the employer organization (multi-employer plan) representative. Trone is president and founder of the non-profit Foundation for Fiduciary Studies affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh.

“These seven distinguished individuals bring a wealth of experience and expertise in their respective fields,” Chao said in a statement. “I know that they and the returning members of the Advisory Council will work hard to analyze and make recommendations about issues important to the security of workers’ benefits, while also supporting employers’ efforts to provide these benefits in our voluntary system.”

The group consists of 15 members appointed by the Labor Secretary to three-year terms. Five of the terms expire each November 14, the end of the council year. The members represent various stakeholders in the employee benefits world.

Named to the 2003 positions of chair and vice chair of the council, respectively, are Ronnie Sue Thierman of San Francisco and David Wray of Chicago. Thierman, an actuarial vice president at Aon Consulting Corporation, is beginning her third year on the council and last year served as vice chair. Wray, president of the Profit Sharing Council of America, is beginning his second year.

Compliance April 8, 2003

EEOC Offers ADA Primer for Small Biz

August 16, 2002 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has released a new handbook to help employers deal with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
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Called “The Americans with Disabilities Act: A Primer for Small Business,” the EEOC describes the tome as a “practical, reader-friendly handbook outlining the employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) as they relate to both employees and job applicants.” 

The ADA applies to employers with as few as 15 employees.

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The handbook covers:

  • Who is protected by Title I of the ADA;
  • How to avoid mistakes when interviewing applicants with disabilities;
  • When you are allowed to ask an employee questions about a medical condition;
  • What to do if safety issues arise;

As well as information on:

  • the obligation to make reasonable accommodations to the limitations of qualified applicants and employees with disabilities; and
  • tax incentives for businesses that hire and retain people with disabilities.

The publication is available on the Commission’s web site at www.eeoc.gov .  It is also available in hard copy as well as in alternate formats (braille, large print, audio tape, or computer disk file) by calling (202) 663-4900 voice or (202) 663-4494 TTY.

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