Karen Weise Bloomberg News January 05, 2015 View the original piece In his 2014 state of the union address, President Obama kicked off what could unofficially be dubbed the Year of the Minimum Wage. Just a year earlier, he had called for a $9 federal minimum, but there he was in early 2014, saying workers should earn at least $10.10 an hour. The shift shows how coordinated campaigns for higher wages, which started with fast-food workers and...

Shaila Dewan The New York Times January 05, 2015 View the original piece Conservative groups are opening a new front in their effort to reshape American law, arguing that local governments have the power to write their own rules on a key labor issue that has, up to now, been the prerogative of states. Beginning here in the hometown of Senator Rand Paul and the Chevy Corvette, groups including the American Legislative Exchange Council, the...

Austin Alonzo Kansas City Business Journal January 05, 2015 View the original piece YRC Worldwide Inc. has terminated its employment agreements with CEO James Welch and CFO Jamie Pierson. However, the Overland Park-based company's top executives aren't going anywhere. According to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing late Friday, the less-than-truckload carrier (Nasdaq: YRCW) announced that the company's board approved termination of Welch and Pierson's current employment agreements to grant them a new, more competitive package in 2015. Click...

Wolfe Research January 05, 2015 View the original piece Monthly Transport Trader. Our Transport Trader report is a monthly review of transport stock performance. We show transport performance vs. the S&P 500 and other sectors, sub-sector performance (e.g. rail vs. truck), comparable stock performance (e.g. FDX vs. UPS), and individual stock performance vs. the market and peer group.Transports Give a Little Back in December, with Some Signs of Mean Reversion. Our WR Transport index fell 0.7% in Dec. and slightly...

Times Union December 30, 2014 View the original piece The recently passed federal spending plan allows big banks to renew risky trades and some pensioners' benefits to be cut. Click here to read more.

Josh Funk Associated Press December 29, 2014 View the original piece When American freight trains delivered cargo after World War II, the steam-belching beasts commonly had seven people aboard — an engineer, a conductor, up to four brakemen and a fireman. Trains have since grown much longer, seemingly stretching to the horizon and often taking 20 minutes to pass through a crossing. And crews have been reduced in size — to five people in the...

Len Boselovic Pittsburgh Post Gazette December 29, 2014 View the original piece Some troubled pension plans now have the authority to drastically reduce the benefits of current and future retirees — something that hasn’t happened since Congress passed legislation protecting retirement benefits 40 years ago. The power was included in the last-minute, $1.1 trillion budget compromise signed by President Barack Obama on Dec. 16. Click here to read more at the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

Spenser Soper Bloomberg News December 23, 2014 View the original piece Amazon.com Inc. began offering one-hour delivery in Manhattan Dec. 18, the retailer’s latest effort to connect consumers with products they order online as quickly as possible. The “Prime Now” program covers shipments of tens of thousands of household goods, including shampoo, paper towels, toys and books, the Seattle-based company said in a statement. The service will expand to additional cities in 2015, with the...

Melanie Hicken CNN Money December 22, 2014 View the original piece More than a million current and retired truck drivers, construction workers and other union employees could see their pension benefits cut now that Congress has passed a controversial new measure. By allowing the plans to cut benefits now, lawmakers say it will help keep around 150 pension funds from running out of money. But retirees aren't exactly seeing it that way. Many gave up...

Michelle Singletary The Washington Post December 19, 2014 View the original piece For some retirees, Congress has played the Grinch this holiday season. Tucked into the federal spending bill were provisions that will allow certain struggling multi-employer pension plans to reduce benefits already being received by retirees. Click here to read more at The Washington Post.