Pressure to Disclose Pension Changes Sooner
With the recent controversy over changes to many pension plans, workers have begun demanding much more pension information from their employers. Proposed legislation to require companies to tell workers 45 days before a pension change if some employees' benefits will be hurt has been backed by President Clinton. Under current law, only 15 days notice is required.

Flextime: Not Just for Moms
A survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics has found that "flextime" agreements between workers and employers have increased, from 12.4% of full-time workers in 1985 to 28% in 1997. The flexible scheduling -- whether taken as flexible hours at the office or an arrangement in which workers can use overtime to earn extra time off -- is no longer just an option for new mothers, a spokesman said. Most such arrangements are unofficial, with only 6% of employers spelling out formal agreements.

Lots of Job Growth in Police Departments
The Justice Department reports that the growth of police and sheriffs' departments accelerated during the mid-1990s. Local police departments grew an average of 3% a year between 1993 and 1997, compared with 1% a year from 1987 through 1993; while sheriffs' departments grew an average of 4.4% annually from 1993 to 1997. Total police department employment reached an estimated 531,496 by June 1997.

Disabled Advocates Sue Defense Department
An advocacy group known as NISH (formerly the National Industries for the Severely Handicapped) is suing the Defense Department for jeopardizing more than 2,000 jobs for the disabled. NISH claims the department closed the bidding process for a contract to award jobs in more than 60 military mess halls. Under a 1938 law, the government must give special consideration to disabled workers when awarding contracts.