Intel Retirees Get Class Status in Pension Calculation Challenge

Retirees suing Intel Corp. over how it calculates pensions for certain married workers scored a court order certifying their case as a class action covering more than 1,800 people.

The dispute turns on common questions, including whether the Employee Retirement Income Security Act requires that employers use “reasonable” actuarial assumptions when calculating pensions that make post-death payments to a worker’s surviving spouse, Judge Edward J. Davila of the US District Court for the Northern District of California said.

The June 27 opinion is the latest word in a series of cases challenging the interest rates and lifespan data large employers ...