Regulations & Compliance
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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Problems Surface Over AZ's 2007 Immigration Law
May 17, 2013 12:41 pm | by Jacques Billeaud, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe immigration debate in Arizona reached a boiling point in 2007 when the state passed a groundbreaking law targeting those often blamed with fueling the nation's border woes: Employers who hire immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.
Small SUVs Struggle In Crash Test
May 17, 2013 12:30 pm | by CNN Money | Videos | CommentsFive SUVs including the Hyundai Tuscon, Ford Escape, Kia Sportage, Buick Encore and Jeep Patriot earned poor ratings in a tough new crash test. Only two of 13 small SUVs performed well in front-end crash tests done by an insurance industry group, with several popular models faring poorly in the evaluations.
Prosecutors Want Closer Monitoring Of Ex-Mamtek CEO
May 17, 2013 11:19 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsMissouri prosecutors want a judge to let them keep closer tabs on the former head of a failed artificial sweetener plant in Moberly. Attorney General Chris Koster's office said Thursday it has filed a motion in St. Charles County Circuit Court seeking to monitor ex-Mamtek CEO Bruce Cole with a wearable GPS device.
Labor Group: Apple Making Progress At Foxconn
May 17, 2013 11:18 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA labor group Apple Inc. joined to assess working conditions at three manufacturing plants in China, where its products are made, says conditions are improving. But employees are still working more hours than the country's legal limit. The Fair Labor Association said Thursday that Apple's largest supplier, Foxconn, has made all recommended improvements to working conditions that were due by the end of December.
Ford Owners Sue: EcoBoost Engine Defective
May 15, 2013 10:16 am | by Dee-Ann Durbin, AP Auto Writer | News | CommentsThree Ohio drivers are suing Ford Motor Co., claiming the company's six-cylinder EcoBoost engine is defective. The lawsuit says the 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost engine can shudder, shake and then rapidly lose power while drivers are accelerating.
Judge Slashes $240M EEOC Verdict To $1.6M
May 15, 2013 10:08 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA judge has slashed a landmark $240 million verdict to $1.6 million for 32 mentally disabled workers who suffered years of abuse by their caretakers. U.S. Senior Judge Charles Wolle entered judgment Tuesday against Henry's Turkey Service of Goldthwaite, Texas. Wolle says he must limit the judgment to $50,000 per employee, the cap included in the Americans with Disabilities Act for businesses with fewer than 101 workers.
Bill Squeezing Out Tesla Passes NC Senate
May 14, 2013 2:24 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA bill backed by auto dealers that effectively blocks California's Tesla Motors Inc. from selling in North Carolina has passed the state Senate. The electric car manufacturer says the bill that passed the Senate unanimously Monday effectively bars it from selling to state residents through its Internet-based model.
Drug Manufacturer Agrees To $500M Penalty
May 13, 2013 2:23 pm | by Eric Tucker, Associated Press | News | CommentsA subsidiary of an Indian pharmaceutical company has agreed to pay $500 million in ines and civil penalties for selling adulterated drugs and lying about tests to federal regulators, the Justice Department said Monday. The guilty plea by Ranbaxy USA Inc. represents the largest financial penalty by a generic drug company for violations of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, which prohibits the sale of impure drugs, prosecutors said.
Jury Finds 3 Guilty Of Weapons Plant Break-In
May 9, 2013 2:16 pm | by Erik Schelzig, Associated Press | News | CommentsAn 83-year-old nun and two fellow protesters were convicted Wednesday of interfering with national security when they broke into a nuclear weapons facility in Tennessee and defaced a uranium processing plant. It took a jury about 2 ½ hours to find the three protesters guilty of a charge of sabotaging the plant and second charge of damaging federal property in July the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge in July.
Appeals Court Strikes Down Union Poster Rule
May 8, 2013 10:11 am | by Sam Hananel, Associated Press | News | CommentsIn another blow to the nation's dwindling labor unions, an appeals court struck down a federal rule that would have required millions of businesses to put up posters informing workers of their right to form a union. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the NLRB violated employers' free speech rights in in trying to force them to display the posters or face charges of committing an unfair labor practice.
Lawsuit: Intel Worker Subjected To 'Kick Me' Prank
May 7, 2013 2:31 pm | by Russell Contreras, Associated Press | News | CommentsIntel workers secretly taped a "Kick Me" sign to the back of a co-worker as a prank, then kicked the confused man a number of times as employees at the Rio Rancho Intel plant laughed hysterically at the episode, according to a federal lawsuit.
Ethiopian Air Wants Compensation For 787 Grounding
May 7, 2013 10:04 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe chief executive of Ethiopian Airlines says his company will seek compensation from Boeing for the grounding of its 787 Dreamliner planes. Tewolde Gebremariam told The Associated Press on Tuesday his company will soon start discussions with Boeing over compensation.
FAA Safety Oversight Of Aircraft Repairs Faulted
May 6, 2013 2:21 pm | by Joan Lowy, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe government's oversight of hundreds of domestic and overseas repair stations that service U.S. airliners is ineffective and doesn't target the factors most likely to present safety risks, the Department of Transportation's inspector general said Monday.
Pressure On Bangladesh, Retailers To Fix Factories
May 6, 2013 2:14 pm | by Farid Hossain, Stephen Wright, Associated Press | News | CommentsIn the aftermath of a building collapse that killed more than 530 people, Bangladesh's garment manufacturers may face a choice of reform or perish. The shoddily constructed building's collapse has put a focus on the high human price paid when Bangladeshi government ineptitude, Western consumer apathy and global retailing's drive for the lowest cost of production intersect.
Moberly Dismissed From Mamtek Investor Lawsuit
May 6, 2013 10:20 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe city of Moberly and its industrial development agency have been dismissed from a civil lawsuit filed by spurned investors in the failed Mamtek artificial sweetener factory. The Columbia Daily Tribune reported that a Cole County judge on April 25 dismissed the city and the Moberly Industrial Development Authority from a 2012 suit filed by Shelter Insurance Cos. and the Waddell & Reed investment brokerage.
CT Workers Sue Company Over Wages
May 3, 2013 9:58 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsFour New Haven workers have filed a federal lawsuit alleging a fiberglass manufacturer and its owner cheated them out of wages. The workers on Thursday sued H&L Plastics of New Haven and its owner, Charles Bolton. They say each worker received no compensation for between five and seventeen weeks of work, or about $20,000.
LA Gov: $340M More From BP For Gulf Restoration
May 3, 2013 9:50 am | by Janet McConnaughey, Associated Press | News | CommentsBP PLC has agreed to pay $340 million to restore four of the barrier islands that act as hurricane buffers for Louisiana's mainland and create two fish research hatcheries in the state, Gov. Bobby Jindal said Tuesday. The money is part of $1 billion the oil giant agreed two years ago to pay for early restoration work after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Juror: EEOC Verdict In Iowa Sends A Message
May 2, 2013 2:14 pm | by Ryan J. Foley, Associated Press | News | CommentsA juror says she wanted to send a message by supporting a historic $240 million verdict for 32 mentally disabled men who faced decades of abuse by a Texas company: Never again. Juror Robin Griebel outlined her rationale for awarding $7.5 million to each former employee of Henry's Turkey Service, while the men, their attorney and relatives celebrated Wednesday's verdict.
Judge Gives Major Break In GM Theft Case
May 2, 2013 2:13 pm | by Ed White, Associated Press | News | CommentsA former General Motors engineer convicted of stealing thousands of pages of hybrid technology was sentenced Wednesday to just a year and a day in prison, far below the punishment sought by the government in a case that involved her husband and an alleged scheme to take the trade secrets to China.
Abused Disabled IA Plant Workers Awarded $240M
May 1, 2013 2:09 pm | by Ryan J. Foley, Associated Press | News | CommentsAn Iowa jury on Wednesday awarded a total of $240 million to 32 mentally disabled Iowa turkey processing plant workers for what government lawyers described as years of around-the-clock abuse and discrimination by the Texas company that oversaw their care, work and lodging.
Jury Deliberates In IA Worker Abuse Case
May 1, 2013 10:12 am | by Ryan J. Foley, Associated Press | News | CommentsA government attorney asked jurors Tuesday to award damages to 32 mentally disabled workers, saying they were subjected to around-the-clock discrimination by a Texas company that profited from their work at an Iowa turkey plant. qual Employment Opportunity Commission attorney Robert Canino said the former workers for Henry's Turkey Services suffered "broken lives" because of the conditions they endured.
GE Sues Utility As Dredging Restarts On Hudson
April 30, 2013 1:44 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsGeneral Electric Co. said it sued a utility for a share of costs associated with the $1 billion-plus Superfund cleanup of the upper Hudson River on Monday, the day the fourth season of dredging began to remove contaminated sediment from the river.
MS Lawmakers Pass Incentives For Tire Maker
April 29, 2013 10:09 am | by Jeff Amy, Associated Press | News | CommentsA Japanese company will get incentives that could be worth more than $330 million to build a tire manufacturing plant in Clay County. Mississippi lawmakers quickly passed the bill intended for Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. in a Friday special session, with House members supporting it 117-2 and Senate members supporting it unanimously. The entire session took less than four hours.
GM Wants Tough Punishment In Hybrid Secrets Theft
April 26, 2013 5:02 pm | by Ed White, Associated Press | News | CommentsGeneral Motors Co. wants a long prison sentence next week for a former employee and her husband who were convicted of stealing hybrid vehicle technology for potential use by competitors in China. Trade secrets were found on at least seven computers owned by ex-GM engineer Shanshan Du and Yu Qin, according to prosecutors.
Oil Spill Judge: What Is Gross Negligence?
April 26, 2013 10:24 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe judge who will allocate responsibility for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill has told lawyers to give him their views about whether a series of negligent acts can add up to gross negligence. The Justice Department and private plaintiffs' attorneys contend that BP PLC acted with gross negligence before the blowout on April 20, 2010. If U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier agrees, BP's civil penalties could soar.
