Machinists union rejects latest Boeing contract offer
A spokeswoman for the machinists union is scoffing at the latest contract offer from Boeing Co., saying the company had better “get serious” if it wants to avoid a work stoppage.
Boeing presented its second offer to negotiators from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District Lodge 751 Tuesday morning. The revised proposal had eliminated two of three issues the union had objected to, bumped a wage increase to 9 percent over three years, and raised the basic pension benefit.
But union spokeswoman Connie Kelliher says the proposals Boeing eliminated – a new, non-pension retirement plan for workers hired after this year, and separate contract negotiations for workers in Wichita – never should have been on the table to begin with.
RIVERSIDE, Calif.
Mattel wins partial damages from MGA over Bratz dolls
A federal jury awarded Mattel Inc. $40 million in damages on Tuesday in a federal copyright lawsuit that pitted the house of Barbie against MGA Entertainment Inc., the maker of the saucy Bratz dolls.
Damages were awarded for contract interference and copyright infringement. No punitive damages were ordered against MGA.
The same jury that decided the damages phase concluded last month that Bratz designer Carter Bryant came up with the concept while working at Mattel.
In his closing arguments, Mattel attorney John Quinn said MGA owed Mattel at least $1 billion in Bratz profits and interest, while MGA chief executive Isaac Larian aided in the breach of contract and owed nearly $800 million for his complicity.
NEW YORK
Citigroup’s cost-saving measures target color copies, BlackBerrys
Citigroup Inc. isn’t just eliminating jobs to slash costs – it’s also clamping down on copying and BlackBerrys.
In a recent memo to Citigroup employees detailing new efforts to trim expenses, John Havens – who runs the company’s institutional clients group – wrote that “color copying and printing should only be used for client presentations,” and “presentations should be printed double-sided to reduce unnecessary paper usage.”
Additionally, the bank is reviewing employees’ BlackBerry use, and is now requiring pre-approval for the devices. “Only necessary business related calls will be reimbursed,” the memo said.