Shipyard, union reach tentative deal to end strike in Maine

BATH, Maine (AP) — Navy shipbuilder Bath Iron Works and production workers reached a tentative agreement to end a strike that has stretched on for more than a month during a pandemic, officials announced Saturday. The proposal, which was unanimously endorsed by the union's negotiating team, will be put...

66 players opt out of NFL season due to coronavirus pandemic

A total of 66 players have opted out of the 2020 NFL season due to the coronavirus pandemic, nearly half of them linemen. Twenty offensive linemen and 11 on defense opted out before Thursday's deadline. Players with a medical opt out will receive a $350,000 stipend, while those voluntarily opting out receive...

Trump fires TVA chair, cites hiring of foreign workers

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday that he had fired the chair of the Tennessee Valley Authority, criticizing the federally owned corporation for hiring foreign workers. Trump told reporters at the White House that he was formally removing chair Skip Thompson and another member of the...

Trump fires Tennessee Valley Authority chair, citing executive compensation, hiring of foreign workers

Paid family, sick leave initiative a step closer to ballot

DENVER (AP) — A liberal coalition says it has collected more than enough voter signatures to get a paid family leave initiative onto Colorado's November ballot. Colorado Families First said Friday it submitted more than 205,000 signatures to the secretary of state's office for review. Just over 124,000...

Santee Cooper will freeze utility rates for next four years

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (AP) — Santee Cooper Utility will freeze rates for all residential, commercial and lighting customers starting this month through December 2024. The 4-year rate freeze stems from a settlement agreement in a class-action lawsuit filed by customers after the South Carolina utility...

River pilots union asks Louisiana commission for pay raise

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A trade union representing river pilots who guide vessels, including cruise ships, from the mouth of the Mississippi River to New Orleans wants a pay increase to get their salaries to match those of other river pilots doing similar work in Louisiana and at ports around the country. The...

Wages and benefits grow at slowest pace in 3 years

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wages and benefits for U.S. workers rose at the slowest pace in three years in the April-June quarter, a sign that businesses are holding back on pay as well as cutting jobs in the coronavirus recession. Pay and benefits increased 0.5% in the second quarter, according to the government's...

Attorneys seek names of babies born exposed to drugs

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A group of West Virginia attorneys are asking a judge to force the state to release the names of babies born exposed to drugs as part of the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy case. The lawyers want the names so they can send families a notice of pending litigation and seek compensation for...

Support in House for $32B more for airlines but fate unclear

WASHINGTON (AP) — A majority of the U.S. House of Representatives has endorsed a provision calling for $32 billion to protect aviation workers from layoffs though next March, as airlines fight to survive a huge downturn in travel caused by the virus pandemic. House backers of the aid provision released a...