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Port officials optimistic on possible strike
As East Coast and Gulf of Mexico dockworkers consider striking in the midst of tense contract negotiations, Maryland Port Administration officials have a little less sweat on their brow than their counterparts from Maine to Texas.
Productivity rises as employers cut back on hiring
WASHINGTON — U.S. companies got more output from their workers this spring than initially thought. Productivity rose at a modest 2.2 percent annual rate in the April-June quarter, largely because employers cut back sharply on hiring. Most economists expect productivity will slow later this year, a trend that could boost hiring. The Labor Department said […]
Applications for unemployment aid up slightly
WASHINGTON — The number of people seeking unemployment benefits rose a slight 4,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 372,000, evidence that the job market’s recovery remains modest and uneven. The Labor Department said Thursday that the four-week average, a less volatile measure, increased 3,750 to 368,000. Applications are a measure of the pace of […]
Unemployment aid applications up by only 2,000
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits edged up slightly last week but remained at a level consistent with modest gains in hiring. Unemployment benefit applications rose by 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 366,000, the Labor Department said. The less volatile four-week average fell by 5,500 to 363,750. That was the lowest […]
Volvo Trucks opening new Hagerstown assembly line
HAGERSTOWN — Swedish truck maker AB Volvo is adding 50 jobs in Hagerstown with the opening of a new, $8 million assembly line. Company officials held a ceremony Thursday afternoon to begin North American production of automated manual transmissions for heavy-duty trucks and buses. The clutch-free transmissions use microprocessors to select the best driving gear. […]
Barry Rosen: Amnesty offered for misclassified workers
The correct classification of a worker as an employee or independent contractor has been a continuing area of dispute between many health care and non-health care employers on the one hand, and the IRS on the other. The determination carries with it significant potential costs to an employer. For example, employers are required to pay […]
Utilities struggle to restore power to thousands
Utility workers were working Thursday to return lights and air conditions to hundreds of thousands of people who remained without power after last week’s violent storms, even as more strong storms moved in. The number without power was dropping, but not quickly enough for those still in the sweltering dark the Fourth of July holiday. […]
Weak U.S. job market weighs on broader economy
WASHINGTON — The sluggish job market is weighing on the U.S. economy three years after the Great Recession ended and it doesn’t look to be getting much better any time soon. A measure of the number of people applying for unemployment benefits over the past month is at a six-month high, the government said Thursday. […]
Verizon offering buyouts to 1,700 wireline workers
NEW YORK — Phone company Verizon Communications Inc. is offering buyouts to 1,700 workers, mainly call-center employees and technicians, as it continues to shrink its wireline business. The offer applies to less than 1 percent of Verizon’s overall workforce of 191,800 as of the end March, and about 2 percent of its wireline workforce. Verizon […]
NTSB: Poor safeguards caused fatal 2010 Metro accident
WASHINGTON — Inadequate safeguards and poor communications are to blame for a Metro transit accident that killed two workers doing track work two years ago, federal safety investigators said Friday. The National Transportation Safety Board issued its final report on the Jan. 26, 2010 accident, which occurred when a hi-rail vehicle struck and killed two […]
RG Steel eyeing asset sales, spokeswoman confirms
A spokeswoman for RG Steel says the company is considering selling steel mills in three states, including the Sparrows Point plant outside Baltimore. RG Steel spokeswoman Bette Kovach on Monday confirmed reports that potential buyers have expressed interest in acquiring company facilities and all options are on the table. Kovach did not provide any further […]
Bill would benefit same-sex partners of U.S. workers
WASHINGTON — A Senate committee has approved legislation to give benefits to same-sex partners of federal workers. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee sent the legislation to the full Senate on Wednesday. The Senate has failed to pass previous versions of the bill. Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., has introduced similar legislation in the […]
