Labor & Employment

Seattle – Brad Smith, president and CEO of Intuit Inc., has joined the board of directors of Nordstrom. Smith, who has been with Intuit since 2003, was named president and CEO in 2008. Prior to joining Intuit, Smith held sales, marketing and management roles with companies including ADP, PepsiCo, Seven-Up and Advo. He is also a former director of Yahoo.

Washington, D.C. – Neil Trautwein, VP and employee benefits policy counsel of the National Retail Federation, told a congressional panel today that retail and chain restaurant companies continue to have serious concerns about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and remain worried by the quickly approaching deadlines for full healthcare reform implementation, anticipated for January 2014.

ZEELAND, Mich. — Office furniture manufacturer Herman Miller posted strong fourth quarter results and offered an indication that demand may finally pick up for other segments of the office products world. 

The company reported net sales for the quarter ended June 1 of $460 million, an increase of 9.3% from $420.7 the same quarter last fiscal year. For the full fiscal year, net sales were $1.8 billion, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 2.9% from $1.7 billion. 

Toano, Va. – Boston-based class action law firm Block & Leviton said it is investigating claims that Lumber Liquidators Holdings sold floors to consumers with illegal levels of formaldehyde. Independent testing conducted at two different IAS-certified laboratories has reportedly revealed formaldehyde levels as high 0.17 ppm, three-and-a-half times the government mandated maximum emission level, in Mayflower flooring.

New York – Former Duane Reade CEO Anthony Cuti and CFO William Tennant failed in an attempt to have their 2010 convictions for securities fraud overturned. The Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York upheld a June 2010 federal jury decision to find Cuti and Tennant guilty of providing misleading earnings information to shareholders and private equity group Oak Hill Capital partners, which purchased Duane Reade in 2004, between 2000 and 2004.

Matthews, N.C. – A lawsuit filed against Family Dollar by Pipefitters Local No. 636 alleging that Family Dollar violated federal securities laws has been voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiff. Family Dollar had petitioned to have the suit dismissed, but Pipefitters Local No. 636 abandoned its claims before the court made a ruling. Family Dollar said it did not pay any money or make any concessions in relation to the claim being dropped.

New York - A report released by Bloomberg on Tuesday said that confidence among American consumers in June surpassed expectations, climbing to the highest level in more than five years.

The Conference Board’s index rose to 81.4, beating Bloomberg forecasts of 75.1 and reaching the highest point since January 2008. The index reached 74.3 in May.