| Putnam settles first half of four-year contract dispute with ...
Putnam has resolved the first half of a four-year contract dispute with its sheriff's deputies through arbitration, but the award leaves loose ends, some of which may wind up in court. Members of Putnam's Police Benevolent Association have been without a contract since January 2003, but the decision reached in late February deals only with 2003 and 2004, leaving the remaining years to be settled through new negotiations. The 75 union members will get 3.5 percent raises for 2003 and 4 percent raises for 2004. The arbitration panel also ruled that retiring deputies would pay 10 percent of their medical premiums with the county paying the remainder. Contributions to medical coverage had long been a sticking point in the contract negotiations. PBA members have called for free coverage, while County Executive Robert Bondi has sought significant contributions from all county retirees.
Appeals Court sends employment dispute to arbitration
A requirement that workers at Lithia Ford Lincoln Mercury of Roseburg must take employment claims to an arbitrator rather than go to court was upheld last week under a ruling by the Oregon Court of Appeals.
The court held that former Lithia employee Rechelle Motsinger, who alleged in a lawsuit that she was fired after reporting sexual harassment by other employees, should have pursued her complaints through arbitration.
The three-member panel overruled a decision by Douglas County Circuit Judge Ronald Poole to have the case heard in court. Poole erred, the Court of Appeals ruled, when he turned down a request from Lithia to have Motsingers court case set aside pending arbitration.
Poole denied the defense motion after determining that an employee contract signed by Motsinger agreeing to have disputes settled by arbitration was unenforceable because it was unconscionable.
Divorce easier in China as women gain financial independence
Wu Meifen, 33, was seven months pregnant when she saw the short text message. It was on her husbands mobile phone, she said, and it confirmed her suspicions: He was having an affair. Then, days before giving birth, she called home from the hospital and discovered her rival had temporarily moved in. That was when Wu decided to leave her husand, divorcing him in 2004 and taking nothing, she said, even though Chinese law calls for a 50-50 split of a couples assets.
I thought it was humiliating to bargain with him, Wu recalled. I gave up everything. Although she had no income at first, Wu knew that in a pinch she could rely on relatives. She learned how to drive. She borrowed money from a sister in Shanghai and started her own business. Now, she makes a decent living selling bathroom tiles.
Resistentia Initiates Phase II Clinical Testing of Novel ...
UPPSALA, Sweden, April 19, 2007 /PRNewswire/ -- Resistentia Pharmaceuticals AB, a biopharmaceutical company developing immunotherapeutic products for allergic asthma and inflammatory disorders, announced today the start of a Phase II clinical trial to evaluate safety and efficacy of a novel anti-IgE immunotherapy, RP01, in allergic individuals. RP01 is designed to induce the immune system to produce antibodies that block Immunoglobulin E (IgE), the key mediator of an allergic response. .
Ohuruogu's appeal rejected
CHRISTINE OHURUOGU was left "stunned" after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected her appeal against a 12-month doping ban.The 22-year-old Commonwealth 400 metres champion from Statford will remain suspended until August 6 this year after missing three out-of-competition drug tests over an 18-month period.A CAS statement said: "The CAS panel found that Christine Ohuruogu committed a doping offence under the IAAF regulations."With respect to the sanction, the CAS arbitrators noted that the 12-month ban imposed by UKA was both within the range set by the World Anti-Doping Code and in line with the IAAF rules for this type of offence."The panel considered that the suspension was proportionate and should not be disturbed."Newham & Essex Beagles star Ohuruogu admitted committing the offences but denied deliberately attempting to evade the system, insisting she simply forgot about the tests.
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