Business category, Page 101
Carmakers failing privacy test, as owners have little or no control of data they hand over
BOSTON — Cars are getting an “F” in data privacy. Most major manufacturers admit they may be selling your personal information, a new study finds, with half also saying they would share it with the government or law enforcement without a court order. The proliferation of sensors in automobiles —...
Striking workers returning to Wabtec’s Erie plant after new contract
Union workers are returning to Wabtec’s Erie plant this week after a 10-week strike. About 1,400 members of UE Locals 506 and 618 ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with the Pittsburgh-based locomotive manufacturer last week. “This contract represents a substantial improvement over what Wabtec had on the table in...
Drew’s Family Restaurant, a fixture in Forest Hills, is on the market for $1.5M
A restaurant that’s been a longtime staple in the Forest Hills community is up for sale. Drew’s Family Restaurant has been listed by Century 21 Fairways for an asking price of $1.5 million. The listing describes it as a turnkey restaurant. The Ardmore Boulevard eatery was opened by Spiro Countouris...
UPMC names new chief financial officer
UPMC has tapped Frederick Hargett as its executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective Oct. 1, succeeding Edward Karlovich. Hargett comes to UPMC from Novant Health, Inc., a Winston-Salem, N.C.-based health system that encompasses 16 medical centers, more than 1,900 physicians and outpatient surgery centers, rehabilitation programs, diagnostic imaging...
Scenes from Pittsburgh’s Labor Day parade
Thousands of people attended Pittsburgh’s Labor Day parade Monday morning. The annual event featured hundreds of labor organizations and a visit by Gov. Josh Shapiro, Pa. Secretary of Labor & Industry Nancy A. Walker and Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su. “It’s important people understand our work ethic....
UAW’s clash with Big 3 automakers shows off a more confrontational union as strike deadline loomsVideo
DETROIT — A 46% pay raise. A 32-hour week with 40 hours of pay. A restoration of traditional pensions. The demands that a more combative United Auto Workers union has pressed on General Motors, Stellantis and Ford — demands that even the UAW’s own president calls “audacious” — are edging...
Amazon challenge: Finding workers to fill hundreds of jobsVideo
When Amazon casts a net for workers to receive and distribute consumer goods at its new 1-million-square-foot warehouse in New Stanton, it will be doing so in a tight labor market. “That is one of the big challenges,” because of the loss of workers in Southwestern Pennsylvania, said James Futrell,...
‘More than just a woman’s fight’: Stories of the Equal Pay Act
It was pretty obvious there was something wrong with the newspaper job listings. The postings were separated between men and women — the latter often advertising lower-paid gigs. It was a common practice until a 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling said job listings could no longer be segregated. “I learned...
Equal Pay Act turns 60, but wage gaps remain between men and women
Phylliss Ewell was a home health aide who loved caring for people in need. She was a single mother who worked two, sometimes three, jobs to support herself and two children she raised in Duquesne in the 1970s. Despite Ewell’s multiple jobs, the family still qualified for programs such as...
Federal loan to support $500M expansion at Eos Energy’s Mon Valley facility
New Jersey-based battery company Eos Energy is expanding at its Mon Valley facility and creating a $500 million program that elected officials say will create hundreds of jobs locally. U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, announced Thursday that the U.S. Department of Energy has made a conditional commitment on a nearly...
NexTier, Mars Bancorp banks reach merger agreement
Two local banks have agreed to merge. Butler-based NexTier Inc. plans to acquire Mars Bancorp Inc., according to a joint announcement by the two companies. The Mars-based bank will operate under NexTier’s brand. “We believe the merger with Mars Bank provides NexTier the opportunity to provide additional banking services to...
Pittsburgh startup launches system to monitor inventory at stores
A Pittsburgh startup that makes technology to track the comings and goings of products on a store’s shelves has struck a deal that will deploy its technology at 7-Eleven convenience stores in the region. Shelfmark, an Uptown-based tech firm, has installed its small cameras in the ceiling at 11 7-Eleven...
Honeygrow to open restaurant in Monroeville
Fast-casual restaurant chain Honeygrow is adding a second location in the Pittsburgh region. The Philadelphia-based eatery, which specializes in made-to-order stir-fry, salads and honeybars, plans to open a location in Monroeville this fall at a newly constructed shopping center at 3975 William Penn Highway, where it will join Mission BBQ,...
U.S. employers added 187,000 jobs in August in sign of a still-resilient labor market
WASHINGTON — The nation’s employers added 187,000 jobs in August, evidence of a slowing but still-resilient labor market despite the high interest rates the Federal Reserve has imposed. The job growth marked an increase from July’s revised gain of 157,000 but still pointed to a moderating pace of hiring compared...
Food ads are in the crosshairs as Burger King, others face lawsuits for false advertising
Food ads have long made their subjects look bigger, juicier and crispier than they are in real life. But some consumers say those mouthwatering ads can cross the line into deception, and that’s leading to a growing number of lawsuits. Burger King is the latest company in the crosshairs. In...
Home purchases by corporations increase in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County
As Pittsburgh’s real estate market heats up, a new study shows corporations are buying up residences at increasing rates, driving up competition with local residents. A study by the nonprofit Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group shows the share of Allegheny County homes sold to corporate entities nearly doubled over the past...
Elon Musk says X, formerly Twitter, will have voice and video calls, updates privacy policy
SAN FRANCISCO — Elon Musk said Thursday that his social network X, formerly known as Twitter, will give users the ability to make voice and video calls on the platform. Musk, who has a history of making proclamations about coming features and policies that have not always come to fruition,...
Nissan is reusing batteries from old Leaf electric vehicles to make portable power sources
YOKOHAMA, Japan — Batteries in older Nissan Leaf electric vehicles are getting a new life as portable power sources that can be used to run gadgets on the go or deliver emergency power in disasters. Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co. has sold more than 650,000 Leaf EVs. Their batteries often...
Tesla is allowing no-hands driving with Autopilot for longer periods. US regulators have questions
DETROIT — Tesla is allowing some drivers to use its Autopilot driver-assist system for extended periods without making them put their hands on the steering wheel, a development that has drawn concern from U.S. safety regulators. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has ordered Tesla to tell the agency how...
122-year-old U.S. Steel is reviewing ‘numerous’ buyout offers
After receiving two buyout offers in the past month, U.S. Steel said Tuesday it is in the process of reviewing multiple offers for the storied company and symbol of American industrialization. U.S. Steel rejected a $7.3 billion buyout proposal from rival Cleveland-Cliffs two weeks ago, and that offer was followed...
Pittsburgh area jobless rate hits record low, but workforce levels remain down
The seven-county Pittsburgh region’s unemployment rate fell in July to its lowest level in 47 years, but the labor force has yet to regain the 46,000 workers it had before the pandemic wreaked havoc on the economy. The unemployment rate fell by 0.2 of a percentage point to 3.7% in...
Highmark Health to bring more remote workers back to the office
Highmark Health plans to bring more of its remote workforce back into the office in September. While about 20,000 of the Pittsburgh-based health care giant’s clinical workers at Allegheny Health Network have been on-site during the pandemic, other employees worked remotely where possible. Highmark estimates about half of its 12,000...
Giant Eagle names interim CEO Bill Artman as permanent chief executive
After five months of serving as the interim chief executive of Giant Eagle Inc., Bill Artman has been named to the position permanently. Artman took over leadership of the O’Hara-based grocer in late March, replacing Laura Shapira Karet, who had been at the helm for 11 years. Artman, a long-time...
Pa.’s state-owned universities now offering Google Career Certificates
Students attending Pennsylvania’s state-owned universities can now earn tech industry-recognized certificates during their undergraduate studies through a new partnership with Google, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Tuesday. The initiative is intended to move students more quickly and less expensively from campuses into good-paying, high-demand jobs. It also would help employers meet...
Job vacancies, quits plunge in July in stark sign of cooling trend in the U.S. job market
WASHINGTON — Businesses posted far fewer open jobs in July and the number of Americans quitting their jobs fell sharply for the second straight month, clear signs that the labor market is cooling in a way that could reduce inflation. The number of job vacancies dropped to 8.8 million last...
