Labor & Employment

Arlington, Va. -- The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) gave voice to concerns after Thursday's Supreme Court ruling that  upheld the individual-mandate within the Affordable Care Act.

“With the Supreme Court decision now behind us, the focus must turn to the employer-mandate and the effect that impending changes to employer-sponsored coverage will have on the nearly 170 million Americans who receive health care through their employer,” said RILA president Sandy Kennedy.

New York -- New York & Co. has named former Ann Taylor executive Laura Weil as its new COO.

Weil, who has served as a consultant at the company since February, was Ann Taylor COO from 2008 to 2011.
 

SEATTLE — William Meissner has resigned as CEO and board member of Jones Soda. Richard Eiswirth has also resigned as chairman of the board. Both resignations are effective Jne 30. Jennifer Cue will become the company's CEO. Mick Fleming, long-standing board member, will assume the role of chairman of the board.

The company also announced the elimination of the CFO position effective June 30. Carrie Traner, VP finance and principal financial officer will assume . Stapleton's duties.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court has given the government permission to tax people for not having health insurance, essentially approving the individual mandate in President Obama's healthcare law.

“The Affordable Care Act's requirement that certain individuals pay a financial penalty for not obtaining health insurance may reasonably characterized as a tax. Because the Constitution permits such a tax, it is not our role to forbid it, or to pass upon its wisdom or fairness,” the court said in the ruling.

New York -- The U.S. Supreme has just ruled that, while the individual mandate to buy health insurance is unconstitutional, this key part of President Obama’s signature healthcare law can stay as part of Congress’s power under a taxing clause.

In other words, the Supreme Court says that the government will be allowed to tax people for not having health insurance.

DALLAS — Davaco, a provider of turnkey implementation solutions for national brands, has named Tim Currier VP business development.  In this role, Currier is responsible for identifying new business opportunities and building strategic partnerships with nationwide retail, restaurant and hospitality brands. He reports to Paul Hamer, EVP business development for Davaco

Washington, D.C. -- The Conference Board, in its monthly sentiment index released on Wednesday, said that confidence among U.S. consumers dropped in June for a fourth consecutive month, reaching a five-month low.

The research firm’s sentiment index fell to 62, from a revised 64.4 in May. The slide in confidence raises the risk that the recently revealed slowdown in hiring will cause households to curb spending.

The median forecast of 69 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News projected the U.S. confidence index would fall to 63.

PITTSBURGH — Heinz has named Dave Woodward EVP in charge of Heinz North America, effective immediately.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Lowe’s has donated $250,000 to the First Response Team of America, a nonprofit organization dedicated to responding to natural disasters and working alongside local agencies to help save lives in the wake of destruction.

Minneapolis -- A just-released report from the Wall Street Journal said that Best Buy founder Richard Schulze, who resigned his chairman of the board seat earlier this month, may be looking into buying out the company.

Schulze is said to be working with bankers from Credit Suisse. At the time of his resignation as chairman, he owned approximately 20% of the company.