News Briefs - Feb. 3
The Latest Headlines:
- Cross-Border Delays Hurting NW Business, Leaders Say
- LTL Talks to Resume Early, Union Says
- Con-Way Logistics Inks Warehousing, Management Agreement
- CSX Names Ward Chairman, CEO
- Crude Prices Fall as Venezuelan Strike Shows Signs of Weakness
- Bush Sends $2.2 Trillion Budget to Congress
- LTL Talks to Resume Early, Union Says
Cross-Border Delays Hurting NW Business, Leaders Say
Delays from increased security on the U.S.-Canada border continue to hurt businesses in the Pacific Northwest, business leaders in that region told the Associated Press.Officials said that physical bottlenecks, owing to lack of inspections lanes and Customs inspectors, were a problem even before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, AP reported.
Groups on both sides of the border have made efforts to eliminate backlogs, while at the same time, maintaining security, AP said.
LTL Talks to Resume Early, Union Says
Even as their membership voted to authorize a strike if necessary, the Teamsters union said Monday that its negogtiators were heading back to the bargaining table early.In a release announcing that its members covered by the National Master Freight Agreement, and related contracts, voted “overwhelmingly to authorize a strike,” if negotiations with several less-than-truckload carriers do not result in a contract, the Teamsters union said that talks will resume with the Motor Freight Carriers Association on Wednesday in Chicago.
Contract talks had previously been slated to resume the week of Feb. 10 in Washington (Click here for related coverage.).
In a secret ballot, more than 95% of the members of the more than 200 local unions covered by the NMFA, and its related contracts, voted to give the Teamsters’ negotiating committee the authority to call a strike if necessary.
The union is currently talking to the MFCA, representing ABF Freight System, Roadway Express, USF Holland and Yellow Transportation and several smaller LTL carriers. The NMFA, and related contracts, currently cover 85,000 workers at 65 companies and expires on March 31. Transport Topics
(Click here for the full press release.)
Con-Way Logistics Inks Warehousing, Management Agreement
Con-Way Logistics, a division of Con-Way Transportation Services Inc., said Monday it has signed an agreement with gift marketer First & Main to provide warehousing, transportation management and order fulfillment services.First & Main is a privately held company based in Lombard, Ill. that specializes in the marketing of plush gifts, particularly stuffed animals, to gift shops and florists.
Con-Way Logistics will provide “the pick and pack and order fulfillment services” as well as transportation management services for the company from its Aurora, Ill. logistics center, the company said.
Con-Way Logistics’ parent company Con-Way Transportation is a division of Palo Alto, Calif.-based CNF Inc. CNF is ranked No. 4 on the 2002 Transport Topics 100 listing of the largest trucking companies in the United States and Canada. Transport Topics
(Click here for the full press release.)
CSX Names Ward Chairman, CEO
Rail giant CSX Corp. said Jan. 31 that its board of directors has elected Michael J. Ward to succeed John W. Snow as chairman and chief executive officer of the Richmond, Va.-based company. Snow vacated the post after being confirmed as U.S. Treasury secretary.The board said in a statement that “the management succession planning process has been in place for a number of years at CSX.” The board also expressed its confidence in Ward, who has spent 25 years with the railroad.
Ward is a native of Baltimore and has a master’s in business administration from Harvard Business School and an undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland. Transport Topics
(Click here for the full press release.)
Crude Prices Fall as Venezuelan Strike Shows Signs of Weakness
The price of crude oil fell as much as 45 cents in electronic trading Monday as the nine-week-long strike in oil-rich Venezuela showed signs of weakness, Bloomberg reported.Striking workers in Venezuela called off several protests over the weekend, giving traders hope that the strike may soon subside and the country will resume oil exports at their previous levels, Bloomberg said.
In early morning trading Monday, the price of crude oil declined as much as 45 cents, or 1.3%, to $33.06 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Transport Topics
Bush Sends $2.2 Trillion Budget to Congress
President Bush sent Congress a plan Monday to spend $2.23 trillion during fiscal 2004 while accelerating tax cuts, overhauling several social programs and pouring money into defense and homeland security, the Associated Press reported.The plan is likely to set off several months of intense debate in Congress because of its focus on cutting taxes and trimming the budgets of social programs and increasing the federal deficit by an estimated $307 billion during the fiscal year.
Bush blamed the deficit on the recession and the ongoing war on terrorism, AP said.
Democrats said that his plan, which Bush claims will stimulate the economy, will increase deficits too much and hinder economic growth, AP reported. Transport Topics
