Legislative, Regulatory & Legal

Rochester, N.Y. - Teamsters Local 118 members on Monday overwhelmingly rejected a contract offer from Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. that would eliminate the pensions of more than 900 Rochester employees and not provide health care for their spouses. Local 118 will immediately request the participation of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to settle the outstanding contract.

New York – At least three law firms and a settlement claims filing service have filed class action suits  on behalf of purchasers of Francesca's Holdings Corporation common stock during the period between March 20, 2013 and September 3, 2013. Suits filed by law firms Morgan & Morgan, Federman & Sherman, and Ryan and Maniskas, LLP, as well as by The Shareholders Foundation, Inc., in the District Court for the Southern District of New York allege violations of federal securities laws in regard to poor second quarter financial results released on Sept.

New York – At least four law firms have launched investigations of Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc. following a raid by federal agencies on Lumber Liquidators’ Virginia offices in connection with the importation of certain wood-flooring products. The law firms of Pomerantz Grossman Hufford Dahlstrom & Gross LLP, Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC, The Shuman Law Firm, and Wohl & Fruchter LLP are all investigating whether Lumber Liquidators has committed federal securities violations.

By Jim Hogan, [email protected]

New York -- Lumber Liquidators Holdings Inc., the fast-growing hardwood flooring retailer, said Friday that federal authorities with search warrants showed up at its corporate offices Virginia, on Thursday. The company said that the federal authorities' actions were related to certain wood flooring product imports.

The authorities were from the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Fast-growing flooring retailer Lumber Liquidators got an unpleasant surprise on Thursday when representatives from several federal agencies showed up at the company’s Toano, Va., headquarter with search warrants in hand.

New York -- Governor Jerry Brown of California on Wednesday signed a bill approving a $2 hike in the state’s minimum wage, with the increase to be rolled out during the next three years. The increase will make California's minimum wage the highest in the country.

The wage increase will go into effect in two separate $1 increments, going from the current minimum of $8 to $9 on July 1, 2014, and then to $10, on January 1, 2016.

East Pennsboro Township, Pa. – Rite Aid has reportedly been ordered to pay $12.3 million in a civil lawsuit accusing the retailer of illegally dumping hazardous waste from more than 600 stores in California. According to the Los Angeles Times, San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Linda L. Lofthus handed down the ruling in a suit brought against Rite Aid by the district attorneys of San Joaquin, Los Angeles and Riverside counties.

Bentonville, Ark. – A regional class-action gender bias suit filed against Wal-Mart Stores in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida has reportedly been dismissed. According to Bloomberg, U.S, District Court Judge Robert N. Scola ruled that plaintiffs in the case had missed time limitations to file claims and that their claims were previously rejected in another gender bias case.

Atlanta – The Home Depot, Inc. is reportedly going to stop providing health care benefits to part-time employees working less than 30 hours per week. According to Bloomberg, starting next month the retailer will send about 20,000 part-time employees to purchase their own insurance on government-sponsored healthcare exchanges that will be created under the guidelines of the Affordable Care Act.