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One doesn't typically associate Mickey Mouse with the Taft- Hartley Act, the federal law that regulates benefits negotiated between a labor union and employers.
Yet, this fall - against the backdrop of Disneyland - union members, management trustees and benefits decision-makers gathered in Anaheim, Calif., for the 53rd annual International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans Conference.
Officials at IFEBP, a Wisconsin-based group focusing on employee benefits education, believe the conference was an opportunity for its members to hear experts discuss trends and ideas to make benefit plans more successful.
"The cost of providing benefits gets more expensive each year and solutions more challenging," Joseph Burke, president of the board for IFEBP, told attendees during the opening session.
The four-day event presented about 150 workshops, roundtables and presentations covering topics on benefits technology, public pension plans, employee communication, fiduciary responsibilities and health plans.
Disease management challenges
One area where labor and management trustees might have to flex more muscle is with disease management programs, speakers observed.
"Members in the Taft-Hartley arena tend to be a little less healthy...