A — November 22 - December 5, 2013 — Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal
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1st Mariner Bank. ........................................................ 1A Acadia Realty Trust.................................................... 13C AIA DE........................................................................ 23B AKRF........................................................................... 21B All-Rite Construction Co.............................................. 9C American Architectural................................................ 1B Aztec Architecture. ....................................................... 7A Barley Snyder Attorneys at Law.................................11A Barley Snyder............................................................... 8C Bayshore Recycling....................................................... 9A Bedford Cost Segregation........................................... 13A Bennett Williams........................................................ 15C BL Companies............................................................. 14C Breslin Realty....................................................... 12, 19C Brubacher ................................................................... 12B Business Card Directory. ........................................... 17A Capitol Aerials.............................................................. 2B Cooper Levenson Attorneys at Law............................. 8A Dare Living Associates................................................. 3C Earth Engineering Inc......................................5, 12B, 3C Ehrlich, Petriello, Gudin & Plaza ............................... 7B Elliott Lewis Corporation ............................................ 6B EntechDigital Controls............................................... 18B Exchange Solutions. ..................................................... 6A First Bergen Title Agency. ......................................... 12A Fortna Auctioneers....................................................... 4A Fowler ......................................................................... 22B Gerard Construction Corp. ........................................ 14B Gilbeaux Associates, P.C............................................. 20B Haftek CWS.................................................................. 2B Harkins Builders ....................................................... 12B Hillman Consulting...................................................... 8C Hinerfeld Comm’l. RE. ............................................IBC-A Hollenbach Construction, Inc. ................................... 11B Hutchinson Mechanical Service................................. 19B Hylant............................................................................ 4C IREM................................................................... 24B-IBC Jeffrey Realty.............................................................. 14C Jewel Electric Supply Co.............................................. 3B Jottan, Inc................................................................. BC-A Kaplin | Stewart Attorneys at Law............................. 2C Katz Properties.......................................................... IC-C Kay Realty Services.................................................... 15C SILBERT Realty & Management Co......................... 15C Kline’s.......................................................................... 18B KW Comm’l. James Balliet Comm’l. Grp,................... 6C Landcore Engineering Consultants, PC...................... 4C Limbach Engineering................................................. 20B M. Miller & Son . .......................................................... 4B Marcus & Millichap..................................................BC-C Max Spann RE & Auction Co....................................... 4A McMahon....................................................................... 2A Metro Commercial...................................................... 11C Michael Baxter & Associates........................................ 2A New America Power...................................................... 6B NJ Smart Start............................................................. 5B NJAA........................................................................... 22B NorthMarq.................................................................... 3A P Cooper Roofing, Inc.. .................................................BC PennCap Properties.....................................................11A Poskanzer Skott............................................................ 3B Preferred Construction Management........................ 15B Premier Compaction Systems ................................... 10B Proffessional Women in Construction. ........................ 4B Rational Contracting ................................................... 9B RD Management.................................................... 16-17C REMCO Realty Group.................................................. 3C Retail Brokerage Directory................................... 20-21C Retail Business Card Directory................................. 23C Rhino Realty Group.................................................... 10C Singer Financial. .......................................................... 3A Specialty Building Systems....................................... IC-B Sperry Van Ness-Miller.............................................. 10A St. John Properties................................................. IBC-C Subway........................................................................ 22C Target Building Construction...................................... 6C The Azarian Group, LLC.............................................. 1C The Feil Organization. ............................................... 24C Traffic Planning & Design, Inc..................................... 3C Tri-M............................................................................ 13B TTI Environmental, Inc.............................................. 19B Welco Realty.................................................................. 7C Whitesell. ...................................................................... 2B Whitestone Associates................................................ 10C WithumSmith & Brown, PC......................................... 8B Worth & Company...................................................... 13B WP Realty. .................................................................... 5C www.1031tax.com....................................................... 15A MAREJ A dvertisers D irectory To advertise, call 1-800-584-1062
Mid Atlantic R eal E state J ournal Publisher ............................................................................ Linda Christman Publisher ............................................................................... Joe Christman Publisher/Senior Account Executive ................................. Elaine Fanning Section Publisher .................................................................... Steve Kelley Senior Editor/Graphic Artist .................................................Karen Vachon Production Assistant ....................................................................Julie King Office Manager .................................................................... Joanne Gavaza Contributing Colomnist ............................................... David J. Ledermann Mid Atlantic R eal E state J ournal ~ Published Semi-Monthly P.O. Box 26 Accord, MA 02018 (Mail) 312 Market Street, Rockland, MA 02370 (Overnight) Periodicals postage paid at Rockland, Massachusetts and additional mailing offices Postmaster send address change to: Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal, P.O. Box 26, Accord, MA 02018 USPS #22-358 | Vol. 25 Issue 22 Subscription rates: $99 - one year, $198 - two years, $4 - single copy REPORT AN ERROR IMMEDIATELY MARE Journal will not be responsible for more than one incorrect insertion Toll-Free: (800) 584-1062 | MA: (781) 871-5298 | Fax: (781) 871-5299 www.marejournal.com The views expressed by contributing columnists are not necessarily representative of the Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal
Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal
U By David J. Ledermann Affordable Care Act: Reducing Employee Hours May Increase Litigation Risk nder the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate, beginning in 2015, applicable large em- ployers (those having at least 50 full-time equivalent em- ployees) must offer minimum essential health coverage to substantially all full-time em- ployees and their dependents. If employers don’t, they risk a penalty of $2,000, on an annu- alized basis, multiplied by the total number of the employer’s full-time employees reduced by 30. If an employer that offers minimum essential coverage to substantially all of its full-time employees and their depen- dents fails to offer coverage that is affordable (i.e., employee pre- mium contributions for self-only coverage do not exceed 9.5% of household income) and provides minimum value (i.e., the plan pays on average at least 60% of the cost of plan benefits), the employer may be liable for an annualized penalty of $3,000 multiplied by the number of its full-time employees that obtain federally subsidized insurance on an exchange. Fundamental to these penalty provisions is the concept of “full-time” em- ployment because even covered employers will not be liable for penalties for employees who are not full-time. The Affordable Care Act de- fines a full-time employee as an employee who averages at least 30 hours per week. Because the employer man- date results in penalties only for full-time employees, some employers have considered, or have even begun, restructur- ing their workforces to reduce their full-time employee count. Employers should be aware, however, this strategy carries the risk that the employer may be deemed in violation of Section 510 of the Employee HARRISBURG, PA —Rain- bowShops has signed a lease ex- tension within Harrisburg Mall that includes a nearly 4,000 s/f expansion into the adjacent store, located on the second level of the one million square shopping project on Paxton St. The retailer intends to add a
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”). That law makes it unlawful for an employer to take any adverse action against a participant for exercising a right to which the participant is entitled or for the purpose of interfering with the attainment of any right to which the participant may become entitled under an employee benefit plan. Reducing employee hours to avoid, or to at least minimize, the employer mandate’s impact arguably runs afoul of ERISA Section 510. Courts that have faced the issue, however, have required that a Section 510 claimant show that the em- ployer specifically intended to interfere with the claimant’s benefit plan rights. It remains to be seen whether reducing employee hours to avoid penal- ties under the Affordable Care Act constitutes an adverse employment decision intended to deprive a participant of a right under the employer ’s health plan. Another threshold question concerns whether the affected employee is a plan participant, because Section 510 protects only participants, not necessarily employees who do not participate in the benefit plan. It may also be that reduc- ing existing full-time employ- ees’ hours to less than 30 per week may be more problematic in terms of Section 510 liabil- larger children’s clothing and accessories line of products at this new 12,000 s/f location, and expects to open the enlarged store in mid-winter 2014. St. John Properties and Petrie Ross Ventures comprise the partnership group that co-owns and manages the property.
ity than limiting the hours of newly hired employees. That being said, an employer who guesses wrong faces sig- nificant exposure. Potential remedies for ERISA Section 510 violations include back pay to the extent an employee’s compensation suffered because of the reduction in hours, re- instatement to the level of hours the employee previously worked, and the provision of health plan benefits for the pe- riod the employee was without coverage under the employer’s plan. Plus, a prevailing party in an ERISA suit is eligible to recover the attorney’s fees ex- pended prosecuting the claim. Unfortunately, government regulators have not provided clarifying guidance on this is- sue. Informal comments from the U.S. Department of Labor suggest that agency will issue no guidance regarding whether employer efforts to minimize the mandate’s impact violate Section 510. Moreover, regard- less of whether any regulatory guidance on the subject is is- sued, it is a virtual certainty that the courts will ultimately decide the extent to which em- ployer decisions in response to the employer mandate impli- cate Section 510 of ERISA. David J. Ledermann con- centrates his practice in employee benefits law and ERISA at Barley Snyder. n “This expansion is significant because it validates the impor- tance of the Harrisburg Mall location and the value of our shopping environment from the perspective of a national and widely-respected retailer,” said Bill Russell, director of Harris- burg Mall. n
Rainbow Shops plans expansion at Harrisburg Mall with addition of children’s clothing and accessories component
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