In brief: United Auto Workers president says he hasn’t picked an automaker to target

DETROIT – With just a week left before contracts expire with Detroit’s three automakers, the United Auto Workers union says it hasn’t chosen a target company.

But President Dennis Williams said Monday he’ll pick Ford, General Motors or Fiat Chrysler before the contracts end on Monday.

A target company becomes the focus of bargaining and could be hit with a strike if negotiations stall. Williams didn’t address whether the contracts would be extended. He made his remarks after Detroit’s annual Labor Day parade.

The union wants pay raises for longtime workers who haven’t had one in a decade. It also wants to close the gap between entry-level workers who make about half the hourly wage of veteran employees. But companies want to cut labor costs to stay competitive with foreign automakers.

‘War Room,’ Spanish cartoon stand out at box office

LOS ANGELES – Summer blockbusters gave way to the small and highly targeted over a sleepy Labor Day weekend at the box office, with notable performances from the faith-based “War Room” and the Spanish language cartoon “Un Gallo con Muchos Huevos.”

Sony’s “War Room” fought its way to first place in its second weekend in release, earning $12.6 million across the four-day holiday weekend, according to Rentrak estimates on Monday. The micro-budget family drama, which cost only $3.5 million to produce, has grossed $27.9 million to date.

Financial success for faith-based films is not exactly a surprise at this point, but “War Room’s” impressive hold from its opening weekend is significant.

Paul Dergarabedian, Rentrak’s senior media analyst, attributes “War Room’s” second weekend success to heightened awareness after it nearly usurped “Straight Outta Compton” the weekend before.

Muslim flight attendant says she was wrongly suspended

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – A Muslim flight attendant for ExpressJet says she was wrongly suspended from her job last month because she refused to serve alcohol to passengers, citing her religious beliefs.

Charee Stanley, a Detroit-based flight attendant for ExpressJet, filed a discrimination complaint Sept. 1 with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The airline had agreed to give Stanley a religious accommodation, saying she could work out an arrangement with the other flight attendant on duty so they could serve alcohol instead. She was suspended only after a colleague complained, said Lena Masri, an attorney with the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Stanley, 40, has worked for the Atlanta-based airline for nearly three years and during that time converted to Islam, Masri said. Stanley approached a supervisor in June after learning that her faith forbids not just consuming alcohol but also serving it.

When the co-worker complained, Stanley was put on unpaid leave for a year, Masri said.

Masri claimed the complaint against Stanley was discriminatory.

A spokeswoman for ExpressJet said in an emailed statement that the airline values diversity but could not comment on specific personnel matters.