`Underground' notes; Skirting of state hiring laws focus of forum.
Byline: Lisa Eckelbecker WORCESTER - Employers who skirt the law by paying workers under the table or improperly treating them as contractors make up a significant part of the construction and trades industry, making it harder and more costly for law-abiding union and nonunion businesses to survive,...

Hynix employees greeted news of their job loss Wednesday less with anger than a sense of grim acceptance, people at the plant said.
Byline: Diane Dietz The Register-Guard Hynix employees greeted news of their job loss Wednesday less with anger than a sense of grim acceptance, people at the plant said. Four months ago, the company began shutting down machines here and there across departments. Two months ago,...

Southwest Gas Corporation Reports Third Quarter Results.
LAS VEGAS, Nov. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Southwest Gas Corporation recorded a net loss of $0.38 per share for the third quarter of 2008, compared to a loss of $0.22 per share recorded during the third quarter of 2007. Net loss for the third quarter of 2008 was $16.7 million,...

The sweet taste of success; Southbridge bakery expanding, adding 30 new jobs.
Byline: Brian Lee SOUTHBRIDGE - Christopher T. Smith said he doesn't want to bring attention to Superior Cake Products Inc. The president of the privately owned company with 130 employees, including temporary help, said he prefers that it fly under the radar in the competitive...

The Conference Board Employment Trends Index (ETI)(TM) Suggests Employers Will Continue to Aggressively Reduce Payrolls Well Into 2009.
NEW YORK, Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Employment Trends Index (ETI)(TM) continued its steep decline in October. The index fell in October to 105.3, down 1.8 percent from the September revised figure of 107.2, and down almost 12 percent from a year ago. "The sharp...

ACS Provides Electronic Payment Card for Unemployment Benefits in Oklahoma.
DALLAS, Nov. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Oklahomans will have a faster and more convenient way to access unemployment insurance benefits, following an announcement today that Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. will provide the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission with electronic payment card (EPC) services. The system will become active December 1, 2008....

A coverage whose time has come: recent events highlight the need for A-Side directors and officers coverage.
One outgrowth of the corporate scandals that hit the financial markets several years ago was A-Side directors and officers coverage. At that time, some directors saw their companies collapse overnight, dashing all hope that these companies would be able to make good on their indemnification obligations. ...

Allot Communications Ltd. Announces the Results of the 2008 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.
Shraga Katz Named as Chairman of the Board HOD HASHARON, Israel, November 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Allot Communications Ltd. , a leading provider of deep packet inspection (DPI) technology for service optimization, today announced the results of its Annual Meeting of Shareholders held on November 13, 2008, at...

Casualty reinsurance experts warn of terms of entanglement: as risks stretch across an entire reinsurance portfolio, it's easier for one risk to affect another unrelated risk in another part of the portfolio.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If there's a silver lining in a property-catastrophe risk, it's that the risks are relatively cut and dried and the numbers--while at times staggering--are fairly clear. Reinsurers may not be happy about receiving a property-catastrophe claim in the mail, but at least it's the kind...