One year ago the state launched CONNECT, an online system for filing for unemployment benefits, and the launch was plagued with technical errors. Prior to the launch of CONNECT, 78 percent of initial claims were paid within two to three weeks. Since CONNECT has launched, claims paid on time have dropped to 48 percent, and preliminary data shows that in the past few months only 27 percent of claims were paid on time. CONNECT was developed by Deloitte Consulting, which developed systems for three of the four states with the slowest processing times.
NBCUniversal has reached a $6.4 million settlement in a class action lawsuit brought against it by unpaid interns. While the Fair Labor Standards Act requires that unpaid internships benefit interns rather than employers, interns claimed that they were completing work previously done by paid employees and that they received no compensation or were compensated less than the applicable minimum wage. Under terms of the settlement, which is subject to court approval, plaintiffs will receive amounts ranging from $505 to $20,000.