Benefits October 28, 2010

Maxwell House Division of Kraft Accused of Gender Bias

October 28, 2010 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – The Maxwell House Coffee Division of Kraft Foods Global is being sued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for inequitably disciplining, then firing, a female employee.
Reported by

An EEOC news release said the lawsuit charges that Maxwell House violated federal law when it subjected a female employee at its Jacksonville, Florida, coffee plant to discriminatory terms and conditions and discipline and terminated her on the basis of her sex. Francena Smith was disciplined more harshly that her male co-workers when they were involved in incidents where coffee was damaged, and was then fired because of her gender.  

“When management allows a female employee to be disciplined more harshly than similarly situated male employees for making the exact same mistakes, it is not living up to its obligation under federal law to protect employees from discrimination on the basis of sex.” said EEOC Acting District Director Delner Franklin-Thomas, in the announcement.  

Get more!  Sign up for PLANSPONSOR newsletters.

Although an arbitrator ordered Smith reinstated in March 2010, she did not receive any monetary damages. The agency said the arbitrator’s decision does not affect its ability to bring its lawsuit.
Products October 28, 2010

Ascensus Joins with Mesirow for Fiduciary Protection Offering

October 28, 2010 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – Ascensus has partnered with Mesirow Financial’s Investment Strategies Group to deliver investment fiduciary protection to plan sponsors.
Reported by

Through this program, financial advisers work off of a targeted list of funds to build custom investment menus for their clients with the added benefit of Mesirow Financial’s expertise, Ascensus said in a news release.

Using Ascensus’ open architecture investment platform as the basis, Mesirow Financial assumes fiduciary responsibility for identifying and monitoring suitable investment options for participating retirement plans.

Get more!  Sign up for PLANSPONSOR newsletters.

“With this added layer of independent fiduciary protection for plan sponsors, financial advisers are able to provide both the guidance their clients depend on and the coverage their clients are seeking,” said Bob Guillocheau, president of Ascensus, in the news release.

To further support the plan sponsor’s fiduciary responsibilities, Mesirow Financial will deliver a quarterly reporting package, including market commentary and a detailed due-diligence report known as the Mesirow Financial POLICE Report.  The report covers investment performance, organizational changes, legal concerns, investment policy changes, consistency of style, and expenses.

More information is at www.ascensus.com.

«