News

Ford's Rawsonville Plant To Manufacture Hybrid Batteries

April 12, 2010 4:11 am | Comments

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Ford Motor Co. is expected to use a parts plant near Ypsilanti to supply hybrid vehicle battery packs. A letter dated March 30 and posted on the Web site of United Auto Workers union Local 898, which represents employees at Ford's Rawsonville plant, says the facility has been selected to build the components.

Body Part Manufacturer In High Demand

April 12, 2010 4:09 am | by Holly Hollman | Comments

ATHENS, Ala. (AP) — Bill Turner's company manufactures products nobody wants to use, but people are thankful they are available if needed. If a wreck crushes bones in a motorist's back, Turner's company makes a metal implant doctors can insert in the spine to fuse to the remaining bones.

GM's Chinese Sales To Top 3 Million By 2015

April 12, 2010 4:07 am | by Elaine Kurtenbach, AP Business Writer | Comments

SHANGHAI (AP) — General Motors Co. said Monday demand in China is so strong that the company's annual sales may top 2 million vehicles this year — four years ahead of schedule — and could exceed 3 million by 2015. GM is counting on robust growth in China, India and other emerging markets to help offset weakness in its home U.

Perdue Accused Of Hiring Illegal Immigants In Lawsuit

April 9, 2010 6:59 am | Comments

SALISBURY, Md. (AP) — Employees of Perdue Farms Inc. are accused in a class-action lawsuit of knowingly hiring illegal immigrants. The plaintiffs allege that Perdue has conspired to hire large numbers of illegal immigrants, driving down wages of legal workers below market levels. The complaint was filed in federal court in Alabama.

800 Workers Strike Over Tightened Drinking-At-Work Policies

April 9, 2010 4:47 am | Comments

COPENHAGEN (AP) — Scores of Carlsberg workers walked off their jobs in protest Thursday after the Danish brewer tightened laid-back rules on workplace drinking and removed beer coolers from work sites, a company spokesman said. The warehouse and production workers in Denmark are rebelling against the company's new alcohol policy, which allows them to drink beer only during lunch hours in the canteen.

Race Car To Climb Mountain — Without A Driver

April 9, 2010 4:35 am | by Terence Chea, Associated Press Writer | Comments

SAN JOSE, California (AP) — It can traverse rough terrain, accelerate quickly and negotiate sharp turns like other high-performance sports cars, but there's one thing that sets this Audi coupe apart: It doesn't need a driver. The car, named Shelley, is the latest creation by Stanford University researchers who are developing technology that could help make driving safer and one day allow ordinary vehicles to drive on their own.

U.S.-China Relations Improving, Could Solve Currency Debate

April 9, 2010 4:32 am | by Elaine Kurtenbach, AP Business Writer | Comments

SHANGHAI, China (AP) — For months, economists have expected Beijing to start boosting the value of its currency about now to ease strains in its fast-growing economy. The big question: Would Chinese leaders put off changes to avoid looking weak in the face of mounting U.S. pressure for action? Washington has helped to defuse that conflict with conciliatory gestures including Thursday's impromptu visit to Beijing by U.

OSHA Proposes Fine For 2,000-Pound Ammonia Leak

April 9, 2010 4:14 am | Comments

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Federal work safety officials want to fine the company that owns a commercial Maine freezer that had an ammonia leak, which may have contaminated millions of pounds of food. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is proposing fines of up to $9,000 for Americold Logistics because of a January leak in Portland caused when a refrigeration unit fell from the ceiling.

Hugo Boss, Union Discuss Alternatives To Closure

April 9, 2010 4:12 am | Comments

BROOKLYN, Ohio (AP) — Hugo Boss and union leaders have met with a federal mediator without reaching an immediate agreement on the planned closure of a men's suit factory near Cleveland, which could cost 375 jobs. The union wants to prevent the scheduled April 27 shutdown of the Brooklyn, Ohio, plant and avoid big pay cuts.

Slim Jim Workers Sue Firms, Town Over Deadly Explosion

April 9, 2010 4:11 am | Comments

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — About two dozen factory workers are accusing more than a dozen design, manufacturing and installation firms of negligence in a deadly explosion that ripped through a Slim Jim production plant in North Carolina last year. Their lawsuit also accuses inspectors for the town of Garner of failing to properly oversee the installation of a commercial water heater.

Australian Rio Tinto Exec Will Not Appeal 10-Year Sentence

April 9, 2010 4:09 am | by Elaine Kurtenbach, AP Business Writer | Comments

SHANGHAI (AP) — An Australian former Rio Tinto executive decided voluntarily not to appeal a 10-year prison sentence in a high-profile bribery and commercial spying case and is "peaceful and relaxed," his lawyer said Friday. Stern Hu's decision, announced Thursday, prompted suggestions he was concerned an appeal might lead to an even more severe sentence in a case that rattled foreign businesses in China.

Boeing: 787 Wing And Fuselage Stress Tests Complete

April 8, 2010 4:55 am | Comments

EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — Boeing Co. says the stress tests for its new 787 jetliner's wing and fuselage went as planned. On March 28, workers at Boeing's Everett, Wash., plant bent the wing of a special test 787 by 150 percent of the most extreme forces it would experience in flight — about 25 feet upward at the wing tip.

Toyota Official: 'We Need To Come Clean'

April 8, 2010 4:09 am | by Ken Thomas and Larry Margasak, Associated Press Writers | Comments

WASHINGTON (AP) — Five days before Toyota announced a massive recall, a U.S. public relations executive at the automaker warned colleagues in an internal e-mail: "We need to come clean" about accelerator problems, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday. "We are not protecting our customers by keeping this quiet," wrote Irv Miller, group vice president for environment and public affairs.

GM Loses $4.3 Billion In Latter Half Of 2009

April 7, 2010 5:32 am | Comments

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors Co. says it lost $4.3 billion in the last half of 2009 as it struggled to emerge from bankruptcy protection, repay government loans and cope with a severe downturn in U.S. sales. However, the automaker says it still sees a chance of achieving profitability in 2010.

Geithner To Visit China Over Currency Control Debate

April 7, 2010 4:56 am | by Aijaz Ansari, Associated Press Writer | Comments

MUMBAI, India (AP) — U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will visit Beijing for talks with a Chinese vice premier for economic affairs on Thursday, Geithner's spokesman said, in a sign the two sides are moving toward settling a dispute over China's currency controls. Geithner will meet with Vice Premier Wang Qishan, spokesman Andrew Williams said Wednesday, as the Treasury secretary ended a two-day visit to India.