A.M. Executive Briefing - Aug. 19
This Mornings's Headlines:
- Labor Leader to Speak at Truckers' Rally
- EPA Is Urged to Accelerate Its Study of Health Effect of Tiny
oot Particles
- In-House Logistics Keeps Coors on Tap
- Operation Air Brake
- Truck Stuck in Crossing in Stoneville Hit By Train
li>NY Winters Cause Aching Joints
Labor Leader to Speak at Truckers' Rally
As more and more Seattle and Tacoma port-truck owner-operators participate in the work stoppage that has lasted three days, a rally this afternoon in Seattle will include a speech by resident John Sweeney of the AFL-CIO.The rally will take place outside Seattle Freight Service, which Gretchen Donart of Seattle Union Now and Rob Hickey of Teamsters Local 174 charge has "fired" two owner-operators for being involved with labor activity.
On Wednesday, trucker Eugene Pindes said, "I was told [by an official at Seattle Freight], 'Your services are no longer needed,' because I helped in the strike."
But company dispatcher Rick Livingston says owner-operators cannot be fired, and "Besides I need everybody I can get my hands on to move freight. It's backing up, and I need drivers."
Although containers at some Port of Seattle terminals were held up as much as an hour Tuesday, on Wednesday the gathered truckers did not block the gates. Port of Tacoma spokesman Mick Schultz says truckers there "have been passing out leaflets to drivers entering the terminals, but they are not slowing down traffic in any way."
According to Teamsters officials, around half of the Seattle and Tacoma port truckers have signed Teamsters cards, but that is not enough for an election.
The truckers want both to be unionized and to be paid by the hour. Seattle Post-Intelligencer Online (08/19/99) ; Gorlick, Arthur C.
EPA Is Urged to Accelerate Its Study of Health Effect of Tiny Soot Particles
A National Research Council-formed panel of 23 scientists and medical doctors strongly recommended that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) speed up its study of how small particulate matter affects health, since holding up the study "might be very costly to the nation in public health and economic terms."Scientists do not have much understanding of soot particles with diameters under 2.5 micrometers, but research suggests that they can worsen respiratory diseases and perhaps accelerate death. Vehicles, especially those burning diesel fuel, are among the many sources of the small particles.
The recommendation comes after a federal Appeals Court panel scuttled the EPA's 1997 standards for air quality in May because the EPA did not "intelligibly" put forth a harmful pollution level and because, the panel ruled, Congress cannot delegate wide-ranging power to executive agencies.
But the National Research Council panel says during the period until 2010 Congress should annually raise the EPA's budget for the tiny-particle studies; this year, legislators already upped that budget from $25.4 million to $47.3 million. Wall Street Journal (08/19/99) P. A4; Fialka, John J.
In-House Logistics Keeps Coors on Tap
Coors Brewing, the country's third-largest beer company, has only two breweries but eight distribution centers that move beer on to 590 distributors across the country.That helps the company get the product to the market as quickly as possible, since "freshness means quality," says spokeswoman Cathy Troxel.
All along the supply chain, the beer is kept in a refrigerated or insulated environment. Most of the beer is hauled by long-haul TL carriers, although product going longer distances is moved by intermodal.
This is a change from the 1970s, when Coors was so interested in keeping everything in-house that it even had a nursery to grow flowers for the headquarters.
But there is more competition in transport since deregulation, so Coors has sold its truck fleet and some of its in-house distributors.
But corporate transportation director Michael Peters says, "We still don't outsource our supply-chain logistics."
Troxel says the company wants to use its own criteria to decide upon transportation providers.
The company does not pasteurize its beer unless it is going overseas by ship. However, exports constitute a mere 5 percent to 10 percent of the beer brewed by coors every year. Journal of Commerce (08/19/99) P. 12; Banham, Russ
Operation Air Brake
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation says it will perform a 24-hour crackdown on brake noncompliance starting a minute past midnight Sept. 8."Operation Air Brake" will consist of random commercial vehicle inspections at various places in the province along with recording and tracking of data. Land Line Magazine Online (08/18/99)
NY Winters Cause Aching Joints
Although the 34 steel expansion joints on an elevated portion of I-81 North were installed only five years ago, they have since become a road hazard as they have come through the surface of the Interstate.Approximately 2.5 miles of northbound I-81 are shut down, but will reopen by month's end.
Meanwhile, state Transportation Department officials anticipate that the southbound lanes will be closed from late August until November. Land Line Magazine Online (08/18/99); Carlson, Donna
Truck Stuck in Crossing in Stoneville Hit By Train
Nontoxic white alumina-oxide powder settled over the Norfolk Southern railroad crossing at Matthews Street in Stoneville, N.C. after a tractor-trailer driven by Lester "Petie" Butler became stuck on the tracks Tuesday morning and was struck by a freight train consisting of four engines and 74 cars.Butler had gotten out of his Mabe Trucking truck and was trying to get the trailer unstuck when he heard the train coming and got out of the way.
Railroad spokesman Bob Auman says the train was going
pproximately 35 mph, but no one was injured in the crash.
No charges will be filed since the crash could not be avoided, says Stoneville Police Department Sgt. G.R. Walker.
The crossing, which has a sign saying low vehicles might drag, was not along Butler's usual route, which was cut off by construction. Greensboro News & Record Online (08/18/99); Cater, Michelle
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