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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Union Leaders Not Happy With Kohler Contract
December 21, 2010 3:38 am | CommentsSHEBOYGAN, Wis. (AP) — Union workers at Kohler Co. have approved a new contract against the recommendation of their leaders. The contract passed with 62 percent of the vote. Vote totals were not made available immediately following the vote Sunday in Sheboygan. The contract calls for a 5-year pay freeze, and workers will pay more for health insurance.
Pfizer Recalls More Lipitor For Strange Odor
December 21, 2010 3:36 am | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — Drug developer Pfizer Inc. on Tuesday recalled a batch of 19,000 bottles of the blockbuster cholesterol drug Lipitor, citing a consumer complaint about an "uncharacteristic" odor. The latest announcement marks the fourth such recall since August over similar issues. Pfizer said the bottles were supplied by an outside manufacturer, though it did not identify the party.
A Timeline Of Our Gas-Guzzling Nation
December 21, 2010 3:35 am | by the Associated Press | CommentsExperts say U.S. gasoline demand is at the start of a long-term decline following seven decades of mostly uninterrupted growth. Here are key moments marking the rise and fall: 1905 — Country's first gasoline filling station is built in St. Louis. 1946 — Gasoline demand rises 25 percent the year after World War II ends.
Toyota To Pay Record $32.4 Million Fine Over Recalls
December 21, 2010 3:34 am | by Ken Thomas and Tomoko A. Hosaka, Associated Press | CommentsTOKYO (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp. has agreed to pay the U.S. government a record $32.4 million in additional fines to settle an investigation into its handling of two recalls at the heart of its safety crisis. The civil penalties will settle investigations into how Toyota dealt with recalls over accelerator pedals that could get trapped in floor mats and steering relay rods that could break and lead to drivers losing control.
Smartphone Makers Battling More In Court Than The Market
December 20, 2010 4:15 am | by Jessica Mintz, AP Technology Writer | CommentsSEATTLE (AP) — Competition among smart phone makers is heating up at retail, in advertising and, increasingly, in the courtroom as handset and software makers wield patent lawsuits to protect their turf and slow down their rivals. Just a few years ago, smart phones were mainly for office workers who needed to check e-mail after hours.
Caterpillar, UAW Halt Contract Talks
December 20, 2010 3:58 am | CommentsEAST PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — Negotiators for Caterpillar Inc. and the United Auto Workers are taking a break for the holidays and plan to resume talks on a contract on Jan. 11. The contract covers about 9,500 workers at a number of sites around Illinois and in three other states. The two sides met Thursday for about two hours.
Coal Shortages Cause Massive Blackouts In China
December 20, 2010 3:46 am | by Elaine Kurtenbach, AP Business Writer | CommentsSHANGHAI (AP) — Communities in central and northern China are facing power cuts and rationing as winter coal supplies fall short of surging demand. Cold weather and transport disruptions typically cause shortages most years, but the problem has been complicated by coal producers' unhappiness over price controls that are crimping their profits.
Qatar Airways: We're Not Abandoning Boeing, Yet
December 20, 2010 3:39 am | by Adam Schreck, AP Business Writer | CommentsDOHA, Qatar (AP) — Qatar Airways' CEO voiced confidence in Boeing Co. over its delayed 787 program Saturday, but warned the fast-growing carrier may scrap orders for the planes if development problems drag on. Chief Executive Akbar al-Baker noted, however, that there are no current plans to amend Qatar Airways' multibillion-dollar orders for 30 787s and options for 30 more.
Lockheed Pays Feds $10.3 Million For Lying About Prices
December 20, 2010 3:38 am | by Greg Bluestein, Associated Press | CommentsATLANTA (AP) — Defense company Lockheed Martin Corp. reached a $10.3 million settlement with the federal government Friday to resolve claims that the company's Georgia division inflated rates used to price contracts for the Air Force and Navy between 1996 and 2000. The settlement resolves prosecutors' claims that Lockheed mischarged costs in a commercial contract with Italian company Alenia Aerospazio to develop a tactical transport plane dubbed the C-27J, said U.
Titan Tire Locks Out 1,000 Workers Nationwide
December 20, 2010 3:33 am | CommentsQUINCY, Ill. (AP) — Titan Tire has stopped work at three plants in Illinois, Iowa and Ohio amid contract talks with union members. Quincy, Ill.-based Titan closed plants in Freeport, Ill., Des Moines and Bryan, Ohio, as of 11 p.m. Friday. Titan has been in negotiations with the United Steelworkers union for several months.
Four Arrested For Insider Trading On Apple's Secrets
December 17, 2010 3:29 am | by Tom Hays, Associated Press | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors in Manhattan broadened their insider trading crackdown Thursday, arresting four people on charges alleging that so-called "expert consultants" revealed secrets about Apple Inc.'s iPhone and other technology products to hedge funds seeking a trading edge on quarterly earnings reports.
Geithner: Financial Bailout Cost Dips, Now At $25 Billion
December 17, 2010 3:27 am | by Marcy Gordon, AP Business Writer | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — The eventual cost to taxpayers for the government's $700 billion financial bailout will be less than the $25 billion price tag put on it in the latest estimate, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Thursday. The Congressional Budget Office's most recent estimate is that taxpayers will lose $25 billion on the rescue of automakers, banks and other financial institutions undertaken at the peak of the crisis in the fall of 2008.
A Thief's Delight: Boca Raton's New Gold-Dispensing ATM
December 17, 2010 3:26 am | by Kelli Kennedy, Associated Press | CommentsBOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — Shoppers who are looking for something sparkly to put under the Christmas tree can skip the jewelry and go straight to the source: an ATM that dispenses shiny 24-carat gold bars and coins. A German company planned to install the machine Friday at an upscale mall in Boca Raton, a South Florida paradise of palm trees, pink buildings and wealthy retirees.
UAW Workers Accept Pay Cuts At Mitsubishi Plant
December 17, 2010 3:21 am | by David Mercer, Associated Press | CommentsCHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — United Auto Workers members at Mitsubishi Motors North America's plant in Normal ratified a new contract Thursday that includes wage cuts the union has said could determine the fate of the facility and its 1,300 jobs. Seventy-seven percent of the union workers who voted on the deal approved it, UAW local President Ralph Timan said.
Ford's Louisville Plant Sends Last Explorer Down The Line
December 17, 2010 3:20 am | CommentsLOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Ford Motor Co.'s Louisville Assembly Plant saw its last Explorer SUV come off the line on Thursday. The plant is shutting down for a $600 million renovation. The Courier-Journal reports it will reopen late next year with new body, paint, and trim assembly lines equipped to produce multiple fuel efficient models.
