Bonuses

Four of Google Inc.'s top executives each received 2008 bonuses of more than $1.2 million. The bonuses disclosed in a regulatory filing were less than the awards doled out in 2007 when Google's profit rose 37%.

A posthumous musical collaboration between Roy Orbison and three of his sons will be included on a 25 th anniversary reissue of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer-songwriter's final studio album, “Mystery Girl.” The deluxe reissue is due May 20 and in addition to the album's original 10 tracks will include previously unreleased studio tracks and working demo recordings. It also will come with a “making-of” documentary “Mystery Girl: Unraveled” on DVD exploring the creation of that album and the new cross-generational track “The Way of Love” featuring Roy's original vocals accompanied by harmonies and instrumental backing provided by Roy Jr., Alex and Wesley Orbison.

General Electric Co. Chairman and Chief Executive Jeffrey Immelt declined a 2008 bonus and millions of dollars in performance awards, saying Wednesday that the company's falling profit and share price prompted him to forgo the payments. The Fairfield, Conn.-based conglomerate, which makes locomotives, appliances and many other goods, said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that Immelt would not receive his $11.7-million long-term performance award.

PHOENIX -- Sometime in the relatively near future, perhaps even this year, Zach Lee could take the mound for the Dodgers in a regular-season game. Or Joc Pederson could step into the batter's box. If it happens, fans at Dodger Stadium might consider raising their plastic cups in a tribute to the man responsible: Frank McCourt. If not for the team's unpopular former owner, the Dodgers' two top prospects would be somewhere else. Lee might be counting down the days until the NFL draft.

Complainers, excuse peddlers and social loafers. Every company has them. I'm talking about unmotivated employees who hurt not only business but also everyone working around them. So how do you motivate unmotivated employees? One way is to offer traditional financial incentives such as annual bonuses or employee-of-the-month awards. A start-up called Bonus.ly aims to change the incentive model, helping companies reward and motivate employees by using peer-to-peer bonuses. It uses a Web platform that offers a different approach to employee recognition, reward and collaboration.

New York's attorney general issued subpoenas Tuesday to former Merrill Lynch & Co. Chief Executive John Thain and Bank of America Corp.'s chief administrative officer, J. Steele Alphin, amid an investigation into bonuses that Merrill paid executives just before it was sold to Bank of America. Thain, 53, was serving as head of the newly combined company's wealth management division before he resigned last week.

To beat the competition, the management of American Airlines and US Airways is putting up some reward money. Under a recently announced incentive program, the company that now operates the two airlines has offered each employee a $50 bonus for each government-monitored performance category the merged carrier dominates. The two airlines have agreed to join forces and now operate under the management of the American Airlines Group. In March, the U.S. Department of Transportation is to release a ranking of the nation's airlines for on-time performance, the rate of mishandled baggage and customer satisfaction.

President Obama blasted Wall Street executives on Thursday, calling it the "height of irresponsibility" that they gave employees massive bonuses last year even as the government was forking over billions to bail out ailing financial firms. Obama's stern lecture was inspired by a new report finding that the executives approved $18.4 billion in bonuses in 2008 -- still a big drop from the previous year. But seated in the Oval Office after a meeting with Treasury Secretary Timothy F.

Re "Ailing AIG stands by need for bonuses," March 15 American International Group says it has to pay bonuses because of its contracts. Simple: No contract is valid, because the bonus money is not the company's. The bonus money belongs to the American middle class. It's my money and my neighbors' money. We do not have to honor a "contract" into which we did not enter. We demand that our money not be distributed to the obscenely greedy executives of AIG. Because AIG no longer has any money, other than our money, it no longer gets to write the rules.

Remember Solyndra, the solar panel maker that got $535-million government loan guarantees, only to file for bankruptcy less than two years later?    Well, some of its remaining employees could get bonuses of up to $30,000 apiece, even though the company is being liquidated. The judge overseeing the bankruptcy proceedings has OK'd paying a total of nearly $370,000 in bonuses if certain landmarks are reached, including the timely auction of some Solyndra assets, according to a Bloomberg News report.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The benefits of a healthy Albert Pujols shouldn't just be felt at the plate this season. Pujols, relegated to designated hitter for 65 of 99 games in an injury-shortened 2013 season, has started nine of 10 games at first base this spring and has already flashed some of the range, hands, reactions and skills that earned him National League Gold Glove Awards with St. Louis in 2006 and 2010. “I'm really excited and happy with how I'm playing at first base and how I'm moving,” Pujols said.

Wall Street bonuses grew an estimated 15% in 2013, swelling to an average $164,530, the third-highest amount on record, the New York comptroller's office reported Wednesday. Firms will pay out an estimated $26.7 billion in bonuses to their employees for performance in 2013, state officials said. The estimate includes cash bonuses for that year and deferred compensation from previous years. "Wall Street navigated through some rough patches last year and had a profitable year in 2013," said New York Comptroller  Thomas P. DiNapoli . " Although profits were lower than the prior year, the industry still had a good year in 2013 despite costly legal settlements and higher interest rates.

More than 25,000 participants are expected to compete Sunday in the 29th annual L.A. Marathon. Defending men's champion Erick Mose of Kenya is among 16 competitors in the elite men's field. Ethiopia's Amane Gobena, who finished second in 2009, is among 10 elite women's competitors. Winners of the men's and women's races each receive $25,000. A $50,000 "challenge" bonus also will be awarded to the first runner to cross the finish line. The women will start 17 minutes 41 seconds ahead of the men, nearly a minute less than the 18:35 advantage of last year, when Belarus' Aleksandra Duliba finished 2:09 ahead of Mose.

Amane Gobena glanced over her shoulder several times as she approached the final stretch of Sunday's L.A. Marathon. Gobena, of Ethiopia, wanted to make sure that no one could threaten her shot at a $75,000 payday. She had no need to worry. Gobena won the women's race in 2 hours 27 minutes 37 seconds to earn $25,000. Countryman Gebo Burka won the men's race in 2:10:37, but his time was not fast enough to overcome the 17-minute 41-second head start afforded the women as part of the event's $50,000 gender challenge.

Amane Gobena of Ethiopia won the women's race and Gebo Burka of Ethiopia won the men's race in the 29th Asics L.A. Marathon. Gobena, 31, won in 2 hours 27 minutes 37 seconds, collecting $25,000 for the victory. Burka, 26, clocked a 2:10:37 to win a marathon for the first time. He also won $25,000. Gobena won $50,000 for winning the gender "challenge. " The women were given a 17:41 head start and Gobena finished 41 seconds ahead of Burka. Joshua George won the men's wheelchair race in 1:33:11.

Hundreds of National Guard recruiters and soldiers are under investigation for illegally taking more $29 million in bonuses for signing up recruits at the height of the Iraq war. Army investigators say that an outside contractor paid $700 to $1,200 bonuses even when the recipients had no role in signing up recruits. The Army shut down the program in 2012. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), whose subcommittee is holding a hearing on the case Tuesday, called it "one of the biggest fraud investigations in Army history.

The furor over American International Group Inc.'s million-dollar payouts to employees who nearly toppled the insurance giant is turning a spotlight on what critics say is frequently an abuse in the way corporate executives are paid. AIG is shelling out $450 million in so-called retention bonuses. Such payouts have been used for years to keep coveted employees from jumping ship during periods of corporate upheaval, typically caused by a merger or bankruptcy.

NEW YORK -- Wall Street has been slashing jobs, kicking out traders and bankers as the finance industry shrinks. But those with high-paying jobs are still taking in fat bonuses. The average cash bonus on Wall Street last year rose an estimated 9% to nearly $121,900, according to a report released Tuesday by New York state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. Overall, the New York securities industry is expected to dole out $20 billion in 2012 cash bonuses, up 8% from the previous year.

To beat the competition, the management of American Airlines and US Airways is putting up some reward money. Under a recently announced incentive program, the company that now operates the two airlines has offered each employee a $50 bonus for each government-monitored performance category the merged carrier dominates. The two airlines have agreed to join forces and now operate under the management of the American Airlines Group. In March, the U.S. Department of Transportation is to release a ranking of the nation's airlines for on-time performance, the rate of mishandled baggage and customer satisfaction.

Lauryn Williams' hamstring had failed her, but her competitive spirit was undamaged. Williams, who won a silver medal in the 100-meter dash at the 2004 Athens Olympics and a gold medal for running in the first heat of the U.S. women's 400-meter relay at the 2012 London Games, intended to become a certified financial planner after a recurring leg injury nudged her to retire from running last June. A chance airport chat with hurdler Lolo Jones, who had made the U.S. bobsled team last season and enthusiastically endorsed the sport, piqued Williams' curiosity enough for her to give it a try before she hung up her spikes.