In brief: Tougher pipeline safety rule follows spills

BILLINGS – A long-delayed rule to strengthen safety requirements for pipelines that move oil and other hazardous liquids will be unveiled this month following a recent surge in accidents, the U.S. government’s pipeline safety administrator said Friday.

More than five years in the making, the rule will determine if extra safety measures required in environmentally sensitive and populated areas should be expanded to new locations.

It was cleared by the White House this week, and the proposal will be released publicly in the next seven to 10 days, said Marie Therese Dominguez, head of the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

There were 445 pipeline accidents that spilled a combined 1.9 million gallons of hazardous liquids in 2014.

Decades-old dispute ends in union’s favor

FRESNO, Calif. – Organized labor claimed a victory in a decades-long fight with one of the nation’s largest fruit growers when a judge ruled the company interfered with its employees’ vote on whether to reject union representation.

A decision issued late Thursday sets aside an election held nearly two years ago by workers at Gerawan Farming Inc., which hires thousands of people annually to harvest nectarines, peaches and grapes in California’s Central Valley. It says Gerawan used unfair labor practices in its support of a key worker who organized the campaign against the United Farm Workers.

The farmworkers’ votes remain locked up and uncounted amid the dispute.

“The misconduct created an environment which would have made it impossible for true employee free choice when it came time to vote,” Administrative Law Judge Mark Soble said in the ruling.

The labor dispute between Gerawan Farming and the union launched by iconic farm labor leader Cesar Chavez dates to 1992, when the UFW began to represent the farmworkers but didn’t negotiate a labor contract. Union leaders have said they backed off at the time because they were overpowered by Gerawan. They returned ready to take on the company and represent its workers.

Jobless rates down or steady in 40 states

WASHINGTON – Unemployment rates fell in 29 states in August and held steady in 11 as hiring remained solid nationwide. Falling oil and coal prices continued to take a toll on energy-producing states.

The Labor Department said Friday that rates rose in the remaining 10 states. Employers added jobs in 32 states and shed them in 18.

Oil prices that are sharply lower than a year ago contributed to job losses and higher unemployment in several states, including Alaska, North Dakota and Texas. And falling demand for coal has devastated West Virginia, which has the nation’s highest unemployment rate at 7.6 percent. That is up from 7.5 percent in July.

Nationwide, employers added 173,000 jobs in August, while the national unemployment rate fell to 5.1 percent from 5.3 percent.

Rising home values drive household wealth

WASHINGTON – Rising home values drove a modest increase in Americans’ household wealth to a new high of $85.7 trillion in the April-June quarter.

The Federal Reserve says Americans’ stock portfolios climbed $61 billion in value, while housing wealth increased $499 billion.