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A Home Depot store is shown in the Little Havana neighborhood in Miami, Florida, September 18, 2015. "Mega-retailers are returning to 'just-in-time' inventory strategies, killing the 'just in case' promise of the pandemic's supply chain snarl," said Susquehanna analyst Bascome Majors. During the second quarter, the Big 4 retailers combined reduced inventories by 4%, the largest quarter-over-quarter drawdown since 2015, Majors said in a client note. No longer swimming in unsold merchandise puts them in a better position to bring in new seasonal goods for the all-important peak holiday season. Despite enthusiasm for new seasonal products, retailers remain cautious.

Persons: Joe Skipper, Bascome Majors, Majors, Susquehanna's Majors, Lisa Baertlein, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, Susquehanna, Walmart, Big, Thomson Locations: Little Havana, Miami , Florida, U.S, United States, splurging, Los Angeles

It also could throw a wrench into the upcoming holiday shopping season that is a make-or-break period for retailers, including Amazon.com (AMZN.O), the largest UPS customer. If approved, the deal would raise pay for 340,000 UPS workers and eliminate a two-tier wage system for drivers. UPS cut its full-year revenue and profitability targets earlier this month, citing higher-than-expected labor costs and business lost during the tumultuous contract talks with the Teamsters. Under the contract deal, current full- and part-time workers will get $2.75 more per hour in 2023, and $7.50 more per hour over the length of the contract, according to the Teamsters. General wage increases for part-time workers will be double the amount obtained in the previous UPS Teamsters contract - and existing part-time workers will receive a 48% average total wage bump, addressing a key sticking point in talks, the union said.

Persons: Sergio Martinez, Mike Blake, Lisa Baertlein, Paul Simao Organizations: REUTERS, Teamsters, United Parcel Service, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, UPS, UAW, Detroit, Unions, Pilots, FedEx, UPS Teamsters, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Bengaluru

[1/2] Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER bulk carrier transits the expanded canal through Cocoli Locks at the Panama Canal, on the outskirts of Panama City, Panama April 19, 2023. The Panama Canal Authority has reduced maximum ship weights and daily ship crossings in a bid to conserve water. Container ships are the most common users of the Panama Canal and transport more than 40% of consumer goods traded between Northeast Asia and the U.S. East Coast. Some shipping executives are bracing for more reductions later this year, noting that in 2020 a less severe drought prompted canal operators to reduce crossings to 27 per day. "The Panama Canal is just the latest example."

Persons: Aris Martinez, Max, Drew Lerner, Peter Sand, Steve Ferreira, STRI's Steven Paton, Paton, Brian Bourke, Lisa Baertlein, Marianna Parraga, Elida Moreno, Louise Breusch Rasmussen, Deepa Babington Organizations: Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER, REUTERS, ANGELES, Evergreen Marine, Pacific, Panama Canal Authority, Northeast, U.S ., Smithsonian Tropical Research, El Nino, Central American, Canal Authority, SEKO Logistics, Thomson Locations: Cocoli, Panama, Panama City, HOUSTON, China, U.S, Northeast Asia, U.S . East Coast . U.S, United States, Chile, Brazil, Suez, Gatun Lake, El, U.S . East Coast, Los Angeles, Houston, Copenhagen

REUTERS/John Sommers II/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 18 (Reuters) - Air cargo enjoyed record demand when COVID-19 closed borders and snarled supply chains. Now, it is reeling from overcapacity and tumbling freight rates as the freight boom makes a hard landing. Passenger jets grounded during the health crisis are flying again and bringing their lower-deck cargo space, which competes with dedicated air freighters, back into play. The Florida-based carrier cited "the unyielding and rapidly mounting macro-economic headwinds that plagued the entire air cargo transportation sector starting in late 2022". In June, air cargo experienced the slowest contraction since February 2022, the International Air Transport Association said.

Persons: John Sommers, Xeneta, they're, Peter Sand, we're, Sand, planemakers, Eddy Pieniazek, expective, Pieniazek, Robert, Tim Hepher, Lisa Bartlein, Allison Lampert, Valerie Insinna, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Parcel Service, UPS, REUTERS, Air, Reuters, Western Global Airlines, Japan Airlines, Xeneta, International Air Transport Association, Ishka, Cathay, HK, Boeing, Airbus, Aeronautical Engineers, Thomson Locations: Louisville , Kentucky, Delaware, Florida, China, Asia, United States, Miami

☆ VinFast stock skyrockets 270% on Nasdaq, EV maker worth more than Ford after going public
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

That’s more than Volkswagen (VLKAF) or Ford (F), which are valued at 63.9 billion euros ($69.7 billion) and $48 billion, respectively, according to Refinitiv. VinFast is still 99% owned by Vietnam’s richest man, Pham Nhat Vuong, through shares held by his other company Vingroup and other business entities, according to a regulatory filing. VinFast was founded in 2017 as a subsidiary of Vingroup, one of Vietnam’s largest conglomerates. Its performance Tuesday makes VinFast the largest US-listed Vietnamese company by market cap, it said. VinFast electric vehicles parked in Los Angeles on March 1 Lisa Baertlein/ReutersSeveral headlines have been particularly blunt, with one by industry outlet Road & Track calling the vehicle “simply unacceptable.” Another by MotorTrend read: “Return to sender.”Other reviews were more forgiving.

Persons: Pham Nhat Vuong, VinFast, Vuong, Thuy Le, Lisa Baertlein, MotorTrend, ”, Le, — Peter Valdes, Dapena Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Vietnam’s, Volkswagen, Ford, Spade, Nasdaq, Bloomberg, Reuters Locations: Hong Kong, New York, Vingroup, Vietnam, North America, United States, Los Angeles, North Carolina, Europe

Two long-time industry executives told Reuters that Yellow's rates were roughly 10% to 20% below those of rivals. Loads in the so-called LTL market do not trade on the spot market and they vary based on the type and size of shipments, they said. "Yellow was way below" market rates, said Ken Adamo, chief of analytics at DAT Freight and Analytics, which operates one of North America's largest truck freight marketplaces. Unlike the highly fragmented trucking market, LTL is dominated by about a dozen players. Some providers are already raising rates, which could send LTL rates up 10% to 15% from current levels, Pickett said.

Persons: Mike Blake, Ken Adamo, Chris Pickett, Pickett, Adamo, Thomas Schmitt, Schmitt, Lisa Baertlein, Marguerita Choy Organizations: U.S, Rivals, Reuters, Analytics, Flock, Walmart, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Forward, Forward Air, Thomson Locations: Mexico, San Diego , California, U.S, North, Los Angeles

Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER bulk carrier transits the expanded canal through Cocoli Locks at the Panama Canal, on the outskirts of Panama City, Panama April 19, 2023. REUTERS/Aris Martinez/File PhotoPANAMA CITY, Aug 10 (Reuters) - The drought-hit Panama Canal has temporarily limited the number of new reserved passage slots to help ease a bottleneck of ships that are waiting to transit without reservations, the waterway's authority said on Thursday. The canal, however, in June postponed further restrictions that would have required ships to lighten their loads to more easily pass. The bottleneck of vessels waiting to pass, however, has grown, prompting logistics and supply chain experts to predict more disruptions. Still, the bottleneck will not fall as hard on shippers as pandemic-era mishaps, including the Suez Canal blockage in 2021, according to shipping firms and customers.

Persons: Aris Martinez, Ricaurte Vasquez, Anatol Feygin, Rolf Habben Jansen, Lloyd, Elida Moreno, Marianna Parraga, Lisa Baertlein, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER, REUTERS, PANAMA CITY, Reuters, El, El Nino, Walmart, Cheniere Energy, Thomson Locations: Cocoli, Panama, Panama City, China, El, Suez

☆ US trucking firm Yellow files for bankruptcy after loading up on debt
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Rebecca Cook/File PhotoAug 6 (Reuters) - U.S. trucking firm Yellow Corp (YELL.O) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sunday, burdened with a heavy debt load after a series of mergers and following tense contract negotiations with the Teamsters Union. The bankruptcy filing in a Delaware court lists estimated assets and liabilities of $1 billion to $10 billion and creditors of more than 100,000. Yellow's bankruptcy filing comes after Teamsters Union said late last month that it was notified that the company was ceasing operations. The company has been in contentious negotiations with the union over an internal restructuring initiative meant to boost efficiency. Yellow, saddled with liabilities from its purchases of Roadway in 2003 and USF in 2005, reported total debt of $1.5 billion last year, according to Refinitiv data.

Persons: Rebecca Cook, Darren Hawkins, Yellow, Donald Trump, Dietrich Knauth, Priyamvada, Juby Babu, Siddharth Cavale, Lisa Baertlein, Sriraj Kalluvila, Dhanya Ann Thoppil Organizations: REUTERS, Yellow Corp, Teamsters Union, YRC, Walmart, Uber, Teamsters, USF, Thomson Locations: Detroit , Michigan, U.S, Delaware, Kansas, New York, Bengaluru, Los Angeles

HUNTINGTON BEACH, California, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Electric vehicle (EV) maker Fisker Inc (FSR.N) unveiled a pickup truck on Thursday, weeks after starting deliveries of its flagship sport utility vehicle (SUV) and as it tackles persistent supply chain issues. Fisker aims to make a mark in the crowded EV market with lower-priced vehicles that still have high-design sensibility. Fisker said Alaska, reservations for which opened on Thursday, would be built on the same platform as its Ocean SUV. Fisker, which uses contract manufacturing for its vehicles, aims to keep cost of production as well as vehicle prices low. While the Ocean SUV starts at $37,499, its smaller Pear SUV, which was also unveiled on Thursday, is priced at $29,990.

Persons: Henrik Fisker, Fisker, Tesla, We're, Lisa Baertlein, Abhirup Roy, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Fisker Inc, Reuters, Ford, Thomson Locations: HUNTINGTON BEACH , California, Alaska, Huntington Beach , California, Huntington Beach, San Francisco

REUTERS/Aude Guerrucci/File PhotoAug 3 (Reuters) - Thousands of UPS workers will start voting on their tentative contract agreement with the delivery giant on Thursday after local leaders of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters endorsed the union's deal earlier this week. The tentative deal covering 340,000 Teamsters-represented workers at United Parcel Service (UPS.N) averted a threatened strike that could have wreaked havoc on the U.S. economy by disrupting about a quarter of the nation's parcel shipments. Leaders from Teamsters locals oversee messaging and "sell" the deal to members, who vote through Aug. 22. The tentative deal would raise it to $21 from the current $16.20. It remains to be seen whether the group can mobilize enough part-timers, who account for about half of UPS workers.

Persons: Peter Lyngso, Jose Negrete, Negrete, Lyngso, Lisa Baertlein, Susan Heavey Organizations: Parcel Service, Teamsters, REUTERS, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, United Parcel Service, Monday, Leaders, UPS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.S, Orange , California, Washington, Chicago, Anaheim , California, Louisville , Kentucky, Los Angeles

Yellow's demise underscores the shift in the U.S. trucking industry from too few trucks and truck drivers during the pandemic to too many today. Most U.S. trucking companies have about 20% spare capacity in their networks, Stifel analyst Bruce Chan said in a client note on Monday. Yellow struggled for more than a decade after loading up on debt from acquisitions of rival trucking firms Roadway and USF. Still, it is not good news for Yellow's customers, which likely will face double-digit price increases when they turn that business over to companies, Chan said. "If you weren't prepared for this, it's probably a pretty tough day for you," Adamo said of Yellow's customers.

Persons: Bruce Chan, Chan, Stifel's Chan, Donald Trump, Ken Adamo, it's, Adamo, Lisa Baertlein, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Yellow Corp, Walmart, Teamsters, Forward, TFI, FedEx Freight, Dominion, Apollo Global Management, Analytics, Thomson Locations: ANGELES, U.S, USF, Los Angeles

That risk has been put under the spotlight by the burning car carrier drifting off the Dutch coast. While all logistics companies deal with the risk of EV lithium-ion batteries burning with twice the energy of a normal fire, the maritime industry hasn't kept up with the developing technology and how it creates greater risk, maritime officials and insurers said. There were 209 ship fires reported during 2022, the highest number in a decade and 17% more than in 2021, according to a report from insurer Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) (ALVG.DE). The European Maritime Safety Agency said in a March report the main cargo types identified as responsible for "a large share of cargo fire accidents included ... lithium-ion batteries." Firemen typically put out EV battery fires on roadsides by clearing the area around the burning vehicle and flooding the underside with water, something difficult to do on a RoRo, Dillon said.

Persons: hasn't, EVs, Shoei, Nathan Habers, Douglas Dillon, John Frazee, Marsh, Dillon, Frazee, KVNR's Habers, Joe Biden's, Lisa Baertlein, Anthony Deutsch, Victoria Waldersee, Ben Klayman, Diane Craft Organizations: Allianz, ANGELES, Dutch coastguard, RTL, Allianz Global Corporate, Specialty, Maritime Safety Agency, Royal Association of Netherlands, Tri, Maritime Safety Association, Auto, Firemen, EV, International Maritime Organization, Reuters, Thomson Locations: AMSTERDAM, Dutch, EVs, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, China, Europe, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Berlin

Of course, that nickname started with his mother, who called her middle son by his initials, he said in an interview before the UPS deal was announced. O'Brien had warned UPS ahead of the deal not to "go down the road of being greedy, being more loyal to Wall Street than Main Street." O'Brien crisscrossed the country in the weeks ahead of a threatened UPS strike on Aug. 1, fortifying Teamster members' resolve with "practice" pickets and profanity-punctuated speeches. Nelson cheered on O'Brien after the UPS deal in a statement, calling the right to strike the "only countervailing force to capitalism that is otherwise unchecked ... UPS workers have until Aug. 22 to vote on the tentative deal.

Persons: Sean O'Brien, O'Brien, Steven Tolman, John Logan, Shawn Fain, Sara Nelson, Nelson, ROLLBACKS O'Brien, Steve Striffler, We've, Lisa Baertlein, Ben Klayman, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Teamsters, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, United Parcel Service, UPS, Workers, Unions, San Francisco State University, United Auto Workers, of Flight, Boston Local, company, University of Massachusetts, Boston Labor Resource Center, Thomson Locations: ANGELES, U.S, Massachusetts, Los Angeles

☆ UPS and Teamsters to restart talks in effort to avoid strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LOS ANGELES, July 25 (Reuters) - United Parcel Service (UPS) (UPS.N) and the Teamsters union representing 340,000 employees at the package delivery firm plan to meet on Tuesday in an effort to avert a threatened strike on Aug. 1. The scheduled meeting, which both sides have confirmed, would be the first since UPS labor contract negotiators deadlocked on July 5. One estimate put the potential economic impact of a 10-day UPS strike at more than $7 billion, the costliest in modern times. That estimate from Michigan-based Anderson Economic Group includes UPS customer losses of $4.6 billion, lost wages of $1.1 billion and company losses of $816 million. "The vast, vast, vast majority of shareholders are eager to see a strike averted," New York City Comptroller Brad Lander told Reuters.

Persons: Brad Lander, Lander, Lisa Baertlein, Jamie Freed Organizations: United Parcel Service, Teamsters, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, UPS, Anderson Economic Group, York, Reuters, New York Retirement Systems, Thomson Locations: ANGELES, Michigan, York City, Los Angeles

July 24 (Reuters) - FedEx pilots have rejected a tentative contract deal with the parcel delivery firm and the two sides will reopen negotiations, likely under the supervision of the National Mediation Board, the company and the pilots' union said on Monday. The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) did not detail the reasons why members voted 57% to 43% to reject the deal. "Our members have spoken and we will now regroup," Captain Chris Norman, FedEx ALPA chair, said in a statement. The tentative FedEx deal included a 30% pay increase and a 30% increase to the pilots' legacy pensions. American Airlines (AAL.O) and the Allied Pilots Association are revising their tentative deal following the United agreement.

Persons: Chris Norman, Priyamvada, Lisa Baertlein, Devika Syamnath, Susan Heavey, Hugh Lawson Organizations: FedEx, National Mediation Board, Air Line Pilots Association, United Airlines, ALPA, American Airlines, Allied Pilots Association, United Parcel Service, UPS, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru, Los Angeles

☆ Strike at trucking firm Yellow averted after deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 23 (Reuters) - U.S. trucking firm Yellow (YELL.O) averted a threatened strike by 22,000 Teamsters-represented workers on Sunday, saying the company will pay the more than $50 million it owed in worker benefits and pension accruals. Yellow is the third-biggest U.S. trucking company specializing in the less-than-truckload segment that combines shipments from different customers in the same trailer. Competitors, who are grappling with a sharp drop in freight volume, are expected to cherry-pick the company's customers, trucking experts and analysts said. It has successfully won such concessions in the past, but this time was rebuffed by new Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien. A federal judge in Kansas on Friday rejected Yellow's request to block the Teamsters from striking over the delinquent benefit payments.

Persons: Donald Trump, Sean O'Brien, O'Brien, O’Brien, Yellow's, Lisa Baertlein, Ananta Agarwal, Mrinmay Dey, Diane Craft, Chris Reese Organizations: Teamsters, Central, U.S, Walmart, Uber, Apollo Global Management, . Company, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, United Parcel Service, Thomson Locations: U.S, Central States, Nashville , Tennessee, Kansas, Los Angeles, Bengaluru

☆ United Parcel Service, Teamsters union to resume labor talks on Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 22 (Reuters) - United Parcel Service (UPS.N) said it plans on Tuesday to resume labor talks with the Teamsters union representing 340,000 employees, an effort to avert a strike that could roil supply chains and harm the economy. The two sides in April began talks on a contract covering the company's U.S. drivers, package handlers and loaders. A spokesperson for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters confirmed the Tuesday talks and pointed to a statement detailing its goals for a five-year agreement that increases pay and full-time jobs, and strengthens protections for workers. The company started negotiations "prepared to increase the already industry-leading pay and benefits we provide our full and part-time union employees and are committed to reaching an agreement that will do just that." However, they remain at odds over pay increases for part-time workers who sort packages and load trucks.

Persons: Lisa Baertlein, Gary McWilliams, Diane Craft Organizations: United Parcel Service, Teamsters, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, UPS, Thomson Locations: U.S, Atlanta, Los Angeles

A strike could be one of the costliest in at least a century, with the impact of a 10-day strike topping $7 billion, according to one think tank. UPS pilots, who belong to a different union, would also stop flying in solidarity with the striking workers. The Teamsters have been holding "practice pickets" in major cities around the country to keep pressure on UPS. On the other hand, UPS is the largest employer of Teamsters at a time when unions are fighting to grow. "We believe an August 1 strike at UPS remains possible but not yet probable," Susquehanna analyst Bascome Majors said in a client note.

Persons: Mike Blake, Sean O'Brien, Joe Biden, Bascome Majors, Lisa Baertlein, Priyamvada, David Shepardson, Chris Reese, Josie Kao Organizations: teamsters, UPS, REUTERS, United Parcel Service, Teamsters, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Twitter, Reuters, Thomson Locations: L.A, Los Angeles , California, U.S, United States, Susquehanna, Los Angeles, Bengaluru, Washington

The world's biggest package delivery firm and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters have until midnight on July 31 to reach a contract deal covering some 340,000 workers that sort, load and deliver packages in the United States. If a deal is not done by the deadline, UPS workers have vowed to strike. A 10-day strike could cost the U.S. economy more than $7 billion, according to a recent estimate from Anderson Economic Group. "A new Teamsters deal could drive cost per piece (about) 2% higher than current expectations," Susquehanna analyst Bascome Majors said in a client note this week. Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bascome Majors, Alfredo Ortiz, Bernie Marcus, we're, Ortiz, Lisa Baertlein, Chris Reese Organizations: Wednesday, United Parcel Service, Teamsters, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, UPS, Anderson Economic, Retail Industry, Association, Network, Home, Thomson Locations: ANGELES, U.S, United States, Susquehanna, Los Angeles

[1/5] Sean O'Brien, President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, speaks to UPS Teamsters during a picket ahead of an upcoming possible strike, outside of a UPS Distribution Center in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., July 14, 2023. The contract covering UPS workers who sort, load and deliver packages expires on July 31. I assume at some point they'll be reaching out looking to try and get a deal," Sean O'Brien, general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, told Reuters following a worker rally in New York. Earlier in the day, UPS said it remained focused on reaching an agreement before the current one expires. UPS, which aims to hold down labor costs to compete with non-union rivals, could lose customers in a strike, while the Teamsters count UPS as the largest employer of Teamster-represented U.S. workers.

Persons: Sean O'Brien, Brendan McDermid, he's, O'Brien, Lisa Baertlein, John Stonestreet Organizations: International Brotherhood of Teamsters, UPS Teamsters, UPS, REUTERS, United Parcel Service, Teamsters, Reuters, Teamster, Thomson Locations: Brooklyn , New York, U.S, ANGELES, New York, Los Angeles

That estimate from Michigan-based Anderson Economic Group (AEG) includes UPS customer losses of $4 billion and lost direct wages of more than $1 billion. A 15-day UPS strike in 1997 disrupted the supply of goods, cost the world's biggest parcel delivery firm $850 million and sent some customers to rivals like FedEx (FDX.N). Roughly 340,000 union-represented UPS workers handle about a quarter of U.S. parcel deliveries and serve virtually every city and town in the nation. A strike could delay millions of daily deliveries, including Amazon.com (AMZN.O) orders, electronic components and lifesaving prescription drugs, shipping experts warned. In fiscal 2019, GM's fourth-quarter profit took a $3.6 billion hit from a 40-day UAW strike that shut down its profitable U.S. operations.

Persons: Patrick Anderson, Anderson, GM's, Bruce Chan, Chan, Lisa Baertlein, Priyamvada, Pooja Desai, Jonathan Oatis, David Gregorio Our Organizations: United Parcel Service, Anderson Economic Group, AEG, UPS, FedEx, stoke, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Teamsters, Consumers, UAW, Teamster, Thomson Locations: U.S, Michigan, Los Angeles, Bengaluru

☆ Revised UPS contract offer makes 'significant' movement on pay -Teamsters
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LOS ANGELES, June 30 (Reuters) - United Parcel Service (UPS.N) has delivered a revised offer with "significant movement on wages and other economic language," the union representing roughly 340,000 U.S. drivers, package handlers and loaders at the global delivery firm said on Friday. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters union said UPS has requested more time to negotiate and pledged to reach a deal no later than July 5. Earlier this week the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union demanded that UPS make its "last, best, and final offer no later than June 30." The contract covering U.S. UPS workers expires at midnight on July 31. Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lisa Baertlein, Matthew Lewis Organizations: United Parcel Service, Brotherhood of Teamsters, UPS, U.S, Thomson Locations: ANGELES, Los Angeles

Union workers missed out on a frenzy of wage increases by employers desperate for workers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Low unemployment makes it easier for union workers to stand firm during negotiations. Union workers also want more affordable healthcare, paid sick time and more-flexible scheduling for greater work-life balance. Some workers said the base wage increase was insufficient and balked at higher out-of-pocket medical costs. Late last year, U.S. freight railroad workers rejected a five-year contract that included a 24% wage increase, citing lack of paid sick leave.

Persons: Diane Swonk, Erin McLaughlin, Willie Adams, Sam Johnson, Johnson, Joe Biden, Todd Vachon, Garth Thompson, Lisa Baertlein, Bianca Flowers, Rajesh Kumar Singh, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Workers, Spirit, Deere & Co, Reuters, KPMG, Conference Board, Conference, . West, International Association of Machinists, Aerospace Workers, Caterpillar, Congress, Unions, Union, CNH, Deere, Midwest, Rutgers, United Parcel Service, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, United Auto Workers, Detroit automakers, General Motors, Ford, FedEx, American Airlines, Pilots, United, United Airlines, Thomson Locations: U.S, . West Coast, Wichita , Kansas, Decatur , Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, West, Los Angeles, Chicago

☆ FedEx paring costs, grounding more planes as margin pressure persists
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The global shipping downturn has hurt margins for the sector and FedEx's challenge is matching costs and capacity to lower demand. Last fiscal year, FedEx slashed 29,000 jobs, retired 18 planes, shuttered offices and pared back profit-sapping Sunday deliveries in a bid to cut $4 billion in permanent costs by the end of its 2025 financial year. For fiscal 2024, FedEx forecast flat to low-single-digit-percent revenue growth versus the prior year. The company said it would buy back $2 million of its common stock in the new fiscal year. He will remain a senior adviser to the company until Dec 31.

Persons: Raj Subramaniam, Michael Lenz, Priyamvada, Lisa Baertlein, Matthew Lewis, Cynthia Osterman, Jamie Freed Organizations: FedEx, Express, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru, Los Angeles

[1/2] A view of signage at a FedEx Ground distribution center in Carson, California, U.S., September 16, 2022. REUTERS/Bing Guan/File PhotoLOS ANGELES, June 20 (Reuters) - FedEx (FDX.N) on Tuesday said it will merge its contractor-based Ground delivery operations in Canada into its company-operated Express unit and convert contractors into employees. FedEx made a similar change in the U.S. states of Alaska and Hawaii last year. Still, the company said there will be U.S. markets where packages shift from Express to Ground, its outsourced delivery arm. In those cases, the company said it would continue to use delivery contractors as part of its "hybrid" worker model.

Persons: Bing Guan, D.E, Shaw, Lisa Baertlein, Leslie Adler, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: FedEx, REUTERS, United Parcel Service, Company, Thomson Locations: Carson , California, U.S, Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, Memphis , Tennessee, Los Angeles

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