| US: 73,000 U.A.W. Members Go on Strike Against G.M. by Michelle Maynard, New York Times September 25th, 2007 The United Automobile Workers union wielded its most potent weapon against General Motors yesterday, sending 73,000 workers to picket lines in its first national strike at G.M. since 1970. |
| US: Politics Forcing Detroit to Back New Fuel Rules by Micheline Maynard, The New York Times June 19th, 2007 This week, with a vote possible in the Senate on an energy plan, car companies retreated from their longstanding argument that any legislation to increase fuel economy standards would rob them of profits, force them to lay off workers and deprive consumers of the vehicles they wanted to buy. They are now lobbying for a modest increase in mileage standards, a position already adopted by Toyota, in the hopes of silencing calls for even tougher targets. |
| UK: UK class action starts over toxic waste dumped in Africa by John Vidal, Guardian (UK) January 8th, 2007 Lawyers will today begin preparing the ground for one of the largest class actions heard in the UK over 400 tonnes of allegedly highly toxic waste dumped in the Ivory Coast from a cargo ship chartered by a London-based company. |
| EU: Ryanair hits back in 'green' row BBC January 5th, 2007 Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has hit back at criticism from the climate change minister, saying his airline was "the greenest in Europe". |
| IVORY COAST: Ivory Coast Nabs 2 Execs in Dump Scandal Associated Press September 18th, 2006 Authorities arrested and charged two executives of a Dutch commodities company whose dumped toxic waste has caused seven deaths and widespread sickness in the Ivory Coast's largest city, a government official said Monday. |
| US: FedEx subpoenaed in US probe of cargo industry Reuters July 14th, 2006 FedEx Corp. (FDX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Friday that it has received a grand jury subpoena as part of a probe by the U.S. government into possible criminal violations of antitrust laws in the air cargo transportation industry. |
| US: Big Dig problems may date back to 1999 by Steve LeBlank, The Associated Press July 13th, 2006 Contractors knew as early as 1999 that there were problems with some of the bolts attaching massive concrete panels to the ceiling of the Big Dig highway tunnel where a woman was crushed by 12 tons of falling concrete, Massachusetts' attorney general said. |
| US: Ford Plans Shift in Focus Away From Hybrids by Micheline Maynard, The New York Times June 30th, 2006 Detroit auto companies, which have lagged far behind their Japanese rivals in developing and selling hybrid vehicles, are taking a new direction in a bid to emerge as leaders in their own right on environmental issues. |
| UK: Watchdog inquiry threat over rolling stock by David Teather, The Guardian (UK) June 28th, 2006 The companies supplying the trains and carriages that run on Britain's railways are facing the threat of a competition inquiry today amid allegations they are ripping off passengers by charging the rail-operating firms too much. |
| US: More Turbulence as BA Faces US Lawsuit Over Price-fixing Claims by Richard Wray, The Guardian (UK) June 26th, 2006 The turbulence surrounding British Airways, and allegations of its involvement in an alleged price-fixing cartel, strengthened over the weekend with news that a potentially expensive class action law suit has been filed in the US. |
| UK: Airlines Face Investigation for Price Fixing by Heather Timmons, The New York Times June 22nd, 2006 British and American regulators are investigating major airlines that operate long-distance flights to and from Britain, suspecting that they may have illegally conspired to fix the amounts of fuel surcharges they impose on passengers. |
| AUSTRALIA: Virgin Blue discrimination case flies again The Age June 8th, 2006 Virgin Blue has launched an appeal against a ruling that it discriminated against eight former Ansett flight attendants because they were not young and attractive enough. |
| US: Privately Funded Trips Add Up on Capitol Hill by Jeffrey H. Birnbaum, Washington Post June 6th, 2006 Over 5 1/2 years, Republican and Democratic lawmakers accepted nearly $50 million in trips, often to resorts and exclusive locales, from corporations and groups seeking legislative favors, according to the most comprehensive study to date on the subject of congressional travel. |
| CANADA: CN Rail Charged Over 2005 Lake Wabamun Spill CBC News June 5th, 2006 Canadian National Railway faces one charge under Alberta's environmental protection act in connection with a train derailment at Lake Wabamun last summer. |
| KATRINA: Trailer deals go to Fluor ally by James Varney, Times-Picayune May 9th, 2006 Through a partnership with a smaller, minority-owned company, a sprawling multinational firm whose federal contract for travel trailers was up for rebidding has landed four new deals that could be worth $400 million, federal records show. |
| US: Union says Wal-Mart opposed better US port security by Peter Szekely, Reuters April 5th, 2006 The largest U.S. labor federation accused Wal-Mart Stores Inc. on Wednesday of using its lobbying muscle to oppose port safety measures because they would reduce profits. |
| US: Ford owners not told of ways to reduce fuel-tank fire risk by James Polk and Susan Candiotti, CNN January 23rd, 2006 The parents of three sisters burned to death in a rear-end crash are asking Ford Motor Co. to install the same gas tank protective devices in regular models as it did for its police cars. |
| KATRINA: Government overpaid $32 million for Katrina evacuation contract by Leslie Miller, Boston Globe January 20th, 2006 A bill for busing evacuees from New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was $32 million more than it should have been, and the government paid it without question, the Transportation Department inspector general said Friday. |
| KATRINA: DOT Audit Probes Katrina Evacuation Fiasco by Tim Sharrock, Reconstruction Watch January 19th, 2006 The fed is looking into contracts for evacuation of New Orleans awarded to the FAA and a transportation company with ties to Bush. Did the agency and the company do anything at all post-Katrina? |
| US: Labor Objects to Executive Bonuses at American Associated Press January 9th, 2006 "It is absolute insanity to pay out seven-figure bonuses at a time when the company is suffering nine-figure losses, mired in eleven-figure debt, and seeking further help from its employees to survive for the long term." |