Boeing and the leaders of its machinists union have reached a tentative deal that could end a damaging strike that has halted most of its production. The company is offering a 35% wage increase over four years in its latest proposal. That is up from its original offer of 25% that was overwhelmingly rejected by a union local representing machinists in the Pacific Northwest that build most of Boeing's jets. The strike, which began on Sept. 13, has halted production of most of the company's airplanes and triggered a large round of layoffs. The union announced the deal Saturday morning, saying, "it warrants presenting to the members and is worthy of your consideration." The union plans to vote on the deal on Wednesday. Nearly 95% of workers voted to reject the last tentative deal, which the union's leaders recommended. read more
San Francisco Californians already pay the highest price for gasoline in the country, and some analysts estimate proposed changes to the state's low-carbon fuel standard could increase prices at the pump by as much as 65 cents a gallon. The California Air Resources Board is slated to vote on policy changes in November that would lower carbon emissions faster, but increase the cost for refineries. Republican lawmakers are urging state regulators to delay the vote, saying prices at the pump would spike. Gas prices in California are on average $1.47 a gallon higher than the national average mainly because of its gas taxes, the highest in the country. Some state lawmakers say new policies to lower carbon emission standards would hurt everyday residents.
Reuters reported that genetics testing company 23andMe has agreed to pay a $30 million settlement after a hack exposed 6.9 million customers' personal information to the dark web. read more
Meta has fired about two dozen staff in Los Angeles for using their $25 meal credits to buy household items including acne pads, wine glasses, and laundry detergent. The terminations took place last week, just days before the $1.5 trillion social media company separately began restructuring certain teams across WhatsApp, Instagram, and Reality Labs, its augmented and virtual reality arm, on Tuesday. The revamp has included cutting some staff and relocating others, several people familiar with the decisions said, in a sign that chief executive Mark Zuckerberg's recent efficiency drive is still under way. Like most Big Tech companies, Meta offers free food to employees based out of its sprawling Silicon Valley headquarters as a perk. Staff based in smaller offices without a canteen are offered Uber Eats or Grubhub credits, for example, for food to be delivered to the office.
The Small Business Administration's disaster loan program has run out of funding due to high demand from constant extreme weather disasters, the administration announced Tuesday. In a statement, President Joe Biden called the SBA's exhausted disaster loan program "a critical lifeline to small businesses, homeowners, and renters affected by disasters." The SBA's disaster fund running out of money could force Congress to address the dire situation with disaster relief funding once lawmakers return to Capitol Hill in November. "Speaker Johnson has promised that this and other disaster programs will be replenished when Congress returns, so Americans should continue to apply for these loans," Biden said in a statement, adding the SBA "will continue to process applications and will disburse loans as soon as Congress provides the needed funding." read more
#13 Did not! Just ask anyone here.