The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 was written to protect participants in pensions.

FORBES: Secrets of the DOL and PBGC: What Happens When Pensions are Taken Over by the Government? (July 5, 2005)

The PBGC was set up as a result of the 1974 Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

FORBES: PBGC Pension Termination: A Worker's Perspective by Terry O'Rourke, United airlines (December 15, 2007 )

ESOPs were enabled in 1974 through the federal law ERISA, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

FORBES: Employees Quietly Emerge As New Force In Buyouts

It is unclear whether the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) protects current employees from harassment and threats by the employer.

FORBES: 401(k)s: Far More Dangerous Than IRAs (March 2, 2001)

Another danger the GAO pointed out: 401(k) providers often deliberately structure company plans to avoid accepting fiduciary, or legal, responsibility for the plans under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

FORBES: GAO Slams 401(k) Plans for Conflicts of Interest

Employees can sometimes file claims under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Rehabilitation Act, and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).

FORBES: Sex Discrimination, Age Discrimination, Family Responsibilities Discrimination?

What's more, workers can invest in collective trusts only in ERISA-qualified plans, according to Ms. Nordquist. (ERISA stands for Employee Retirement Income Security Act.) That means CITs aren't available to retail individual retirement accounts, 403(b)s, government-sponsored 457(f) plans or any executive deferred-compensation non-qualified plan.

WSJ: Why 'Collective Trusts' Are Worth Considering