Regulations & Compliance
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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
New Boeing Contract Splits Engineers, Tech Workers
February 20, 2013 10:18 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsBoeing Co.'s engineers have accepted a new four-year contract while technical workers rejected their offer and voted to authorize a future strike. The union representing both groups had recommended rejection of the contract because it would not provide pensions to new employees. They would have a 401k retirement plan instead.
Boeing Engineers, Tech Workers Voting On Contract
February 19, 2013 1:52 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe union for Boeing Co.'s engineers and technical workers is counting ballots Tuesday on a contract offer and whether to authorize a strike. The vote comes as the company is trying to solve battery problems that have grounded its new 787s.
MS Part Of $29M Agreement With Toyota
February 19, 2013 1:50 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsMississippi Attorney General Jim Hood says Mississippi will receive about $561,288 in a multi-state settlement with Toyota Motor Corp. over problems with accelerator pedals. Hood says Mississippi will be getting part of a $29 million pot split among 29 different states and American Samoa.
WV Gov Proposes End To Plug-In Car Credits
February 19, 2013 10:23 am | by David Gutman, Associated Press | News | CommentsIt's not often that environmental organizations and the coal industry come down on the same side of a policy debate. But that's happening in West Virginia, where both groups have concerns about Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's proposal to eliminate a state tax incentive for plug-in electric cars and other alternative fuel vehicles.
BP Ready For Trial In Deepwater Horizon Case
February 19, 2013 10:20 am | by Danica Kirka, Associated Press | News | CommentsBP acknowledged Tuesday it had failed to reach a settlement in advance of next week's civil trial on the Deepwater Horizon accident and is ready to defend itself vigorously against allegations of gross negligence in the U.S.'s biggest environmental disaster.
VA Part Of $29M Agreement With Toyota
February 15, 2013 1:12 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsVirginia joined 28 other states in a $29M agreement with Toyota over allegations the company concealed safety issues related to unintended acceleration. In a complaint filed along with the agreement, the states allege Toyota engaged in deceptive practices when it failed to timely disclose known safety defects with accelerator pedals.
FAA Moves Toward Widespread U.S. Drone Flights
February 15, 2013 12:51 pm | by Joan Lowy, Associated Press | News | CommentsA future in which unmanned drones are as common in U.S. skies as helicopters and airliners has moved a step closer to reality with a government request for proposals to create six drone test sites around the country. The Federal Aviation Administration made the request Thursday, kicking off what is anticipated to be an intense competition between states hoping to win one of the sites.
India Puts $750M Italian Helicopter Deal On Hold
February 15, 2013 11:54 am | by Muneeza Naqvi, Associated Press | News | CommentsIndia's Defense Ministry said Friday that it has put a $750 million contract to purchase helicopters from Italian company Finmeccanica on hold amid allegations that bribes were paid to obtain it. The ministry said a formal notice has been sent to Finmeccanica's AgustaWestland helicopter division seeking cancellation of the contract. The company has a week to respond to the notice.
Senate Sends Kemper Settlement Bills To Governor
February 15, 2013 10:16 am | by Jeff Amy, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe state Senate has approved two House-passed bills that codify a settlement over the company's Kemper County power plant. Meanwhile, state Supreme Court justices want parties to answer more questions about an appeal challenging the constitutionality of a 2008 state law that would allow Mississippi Power to collect money to pay for the Kemper plant before it starts generating electricity.
EPA: Cuts Will Hamper Pollution Work
February 15, 2013 10:13 am | by Dina Cappiello | News | CommentsA top environmental official is warning lawmakers that automatic spending cuts due next month would jeopardize EPA's ability to protect against oil spills, air pollution, and hazardous waste. The cuts are outlined in a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee obtained by the Associated Press.
New EPA Rules On Cadmium Exposure Raise Liability Risk
February 15, 2013 9:17 am | by Michael Gruver, Lawyer, Kaye Scholer and Glenn Pogust, Partner, Kaye Scholer | Articles | CommentsCadmium is a chemical element with many possible industrial applications and one huge challenge: cadmium is highly toxic. Recently, the health risks associated with cadmium exposure has led to increased public attention.
Brazil: Local Company Has Patent On iPhone Brand
February 13, 2013 12:40 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsBrazil's patent authority has bitten Apple. The agency says the iPhone name in Brazil belongs to a local company called Gradiente SA, not to the global computer giant. A patent office spokesman says the decision published Wednesday doesn't forbid Apple from using the name in Brazil. It only makes it clear the rights belong to the Brazilian company.
EU, U.S. To Push For Trans-Atlantic Trade Deal
February 13, 2013 10:10 am | by Don Melvin, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe European Union and the United States announced Wednesday that they have agreed to pursue talks aimed at achieving an overarching trans-Atlantic free trade deal. The 27-country EU said such an agreement, first announced in Tuesday's State of the Union address by President Barack Obama, would be the biggest bilateral trade deal ever negotiated.
Unions Sue Again To Block MI Right-To-Work Law
February 12, 2013 2:34 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsLabor unions are asking a federal judge in Detroit to block part of Michigan's right-to-work law from taking effect in late March. The lawsuit filed Monday is the second to challenge the law in recent weeks. It prohibits requiring workers to pay union dues or fees as a condition of employment.
U.N. Agency Moves To Kill Aircraft Battery Exemption
February 12, 2013 10:24 am | by Joan Lowy, Associated Press | News | CommentsA U.N. agency that sets global aviation safety standards is moving to prevent aircraft batteries like the one that caught fire on a Boeing 787 last month from being shipped as cargo on passenger planes, people familiar with the effort said.
China Denounces U.S. Sanctions Against Companies
February 12, 2013 10:23 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsChina on Tuesday denounced U.S. sanctions against a leading state arms maker and other companies over alleged illicit dealings with North Korea, Syria and Iran. The U.S. State Department on Monday said that Poly Technologies Inc. is among companies barred from dealing with the U.S. government or purchasing U.S. military hardware for two years.
AL Plant Cited For Safety Violations
February 12, 2013 10:20 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsFederal labor officials have cited a south Alabama manufacturing plant for 15 safety violations. Department of labor spokesman Michael D'Aquino says Tenax Manufacturing Alabama LLC has been cited for safety violations after an August 2012 inspection of its plant in Evergreen. The company manufactures construction netting and fencing products.
Exec. To Be Sentenced In Tomato Price-Fixing Scam
February 12, 2013 10:17 am | by Tracie Cone, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe meteoric rise of tomato processing company SK Foods in the industry was nothing short of amazing, but it turns out the market share gains were the result of hefty bribes paid to some of the largest manufacturers in the nation. Frederick Scott Salyer will be sentenced in U.S. District Court in Sacramento after pleading guilty last year to charges he bribed purchasing managers at food giants including Kraft and Frito-Lay.
How To Collaborate With Europeans
February 12, 2013 8:00 am | by Mike Rainone, Contributing Editor, PD&D | Blogs | CommentsI am not sure how to define it, but what the Italians seem to be stumbling over is a lack of global reach. Outside market understanding entails extensive effort and often requires a presence in that market, in order to identify that market’s unique needs. This does not come cheap.
HP Sets Labor Guidelines For Chinese Suppliers
February 11, 2013 2:30 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsHewlett-Packard Co., the world's largest personal computer maker, is vowing to crack down on its Chinese suppliers in an effort to reduce the use of low-paid student interns and other temporary workers. The guidelines unveiled Friday are the latest attempt by a major U.S. technology company to weed out labor abuses at Chinese factories that manufacture the gadgets for an Internet-connected world.
UK Watchdog Launches Investigation Into Autonomy
February 11, 2013 2:23 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsBritain's accounting watchdog announced Monday that it is investigating the books of British business software maker Autonomy Corporation in the period before it was bought by Hewlett-Packard Co. in 2011. In a brief statement, the Financial Reporting Council said it had launched an investigation "into the published financial reporting of Autonomy for the period between 1 January 2009 and 30 June 2011."
OSHA Proposes $123K Fine For NY Manufacturer
February 11, 2013 10:10 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed $123,000 in fines for operators of an upstate New York plant that makes roof insulation panels. OSHA alleged Friday that Hunter Panels LLC committed 23 serious safety violations at its Kingston plant.
House Approves Bills Backing Kemper Settlement
February 11, 2013 10:09 am | by Jeff Amy, Associated Press | News | CommentsMississippi House members have blessed a settlement between the Public Service Commission and Mississippi Power Co. over the company's Kemper County plant. The House voted 90-26 Friday for House Bill 1134, which allows Mississippi Power to sell up to $1 billion in bonds to pay for Kemper construction and financing costs over $2.4 billion.
Woman Gets 2 Years For Stealing From OR Company
February 8, 2013 3:16 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsFederal prosecutors say a woman who was on the management team of a Lebanon company has been sentenced to two years in prison for embezzling $848,000 from it. The U.S. attorney's office said Thursday that 42-year-old Rhonda Milligan was also ordered to pay back the money she took from Entek Manufacturing from 2005 through 2011.
Appeals Court Upholds Ruling Against AVX
February 8, 2013 9:55 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA federal appeals court has agreed with a lower court that electronics manufacturer AVX Corp. is responsible for pollution at its old plant in Myrtle Beach. The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reported a panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., upheld the decision by U.S. District Judge Terry Wooten in 2011.
