Benefits November 1, 2006

Hearings Begin in Philip Morris Hardship Withdrawal Firings

November 1, 2006 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - A North Carolina arbitrator has started hearings into whether about 70 Philip Morris USA workers fired for lying on hardship withdrawal documents from the firm's profit-sharing plan should be rehired.
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The nation’s largest cigarette maker fired the workers from its Concord, North Carolina facility after accusing them of falsifying documents to wrongfully qualify for the hardship withdrawals, according to an Associated Press news report (See Philip Morris Sacks Workers over Plan Withdrawals ).

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Some of the fired workers used the money for homes that were not listed on the initial application or for reasons other than those stated on their paperwork, according to news reports. Under the rules, employees are allowed to carry out a hardship withdrawal so they can buy a primary residence, to prevent eviction or foreclosure, or for certain medical and educational purposes.

According to the AP news report, Philip Morris spokesman Bill Phelps has been previously quoted as saying that the company considers that any falsification, misstatement or omission of information related to plan transactions may be cause for firing. About 2,500 workers are employed at the Concord plant.

Workers said similar firings have taken place at Philip Morris’ plant in Richmond, Virginia, where the corporate headquarters, a manufacturing plant and other divisions employ 6,400 people.

Former workers also say that representatives of Fidelity Investments gave assurances that they would not lose their jobs for using the money in a different way from what they had stated on their applications.

Workers from the Virginia plant have offered to testify on behalf of North Carolina workers, according to workers interviewed by and documents obtained by The Charlotte Observer.Workers plan to argue that supervisors regularly asked them to falsify other documents, which caused them to believe it was accepted company practice, according to the news report.

Benefits October 31, 2006

Manpower Widens Social Responsibility Initiatives

October 31, 2006 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Staffing company Manpower Inc. announced that it has beefed up its social responsibility program to encompass a broader range of initiatives.
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A Manpower news release said that the social responsibility focus will include work in workforce development, disaster recovery, refugee issues and combating human trafficking.

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“We strive to be socially responsible in every aspect of our business and we focus our resources primarily on where we can have the most impact – connecting disadvantaged people to jobs, job training and education,” said Jeffrey Joerres, chairman & CEO of Manpower, in the press release. “In our expanded program, we are extending these efforts to help disaster survivors, refugees and victims of human trafficking.”

The newer areas of work include Manpower’s engagement with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and its ninemillion.org campaign, which is focused on providing education to the world’s nine million refugee children, many of whom are living long term in refugee camps without adequate schooling, the company said.

According to the announcement, Manpower is also engaged in the End Human Trafficking Now! campaign, championed by the Suzanne Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement. This campaign strives to put an end to modern-day slavery, which forces an estimated 12.3 million people each year into forced labor or sexual servitude.

The company’s disaster recovery efforts were expanded in 2005 to help victims of the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina in the US to rebuild their lives. After the tsunami, Manpower partnered with Hope International to build two vocational training centers in Tamil Nadu, India, which are providing job training to approximately 1,000 people per year.

More information is here .

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