General Motors becomes 1st of Detroit automakers to seal deal with unionized workers
DETROIT (AP) — United Auto Workers union members have voted to approve a new contract with General Motors, making the company the first Detroit automaker to get a ratified deal that could end a contentious and lengthy labor dispute. A vote-tracking spreadsheet on the union’s website shows that with all local union offices reporting, the contract passed by just over 3,400 votes, with 54.7% in favor. A union spokesman on Thursday confirmed that the spreadsheet had the official totals. On Thursday the contract had a big lead in voting at Ford and Stellantis, with 66.7% in favor at Ford and 66.5% voting for it at Stellantis.
Corporate, global leaders peer into a future expected to be reshaped by AI, for better or worse
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — President Joe Biden and other global leaders have spent the past few days melding minds with Silicon Valley titans in San Francisco. Their discussions have frequently focused on artificial intelligence, a technology expected to reshape the world, for better or worse. But for all the collective brainpower on hand for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference, there were no concrete answers to a pivotal question: Will AI turn be the springboard that catapults humanity to new heights or the dystopian nightmare that culminates in its demise? Biden told a CEO summit held in conjunction with APEC Thursday that he expects the decisions governing AI to steer the world’s direction for decades to come.
Thousands of Starbucks workers go on a one-day strike on one of the chain’s busiest days of year
NEW YORK (AP) — Workers at more than 200 U.S. Starbucks stores walked off the job Thursday. Organizers say it’s the largest strike yet in the 2-year-old effort to unionize the company’s stores. The Workers United union chose Starbucks’ annual Red Cup Day to stage the walkout since it’s usually one of the busiest days of the year. Starbucks expects to give away thousands of reusable cups Thursday to customers who order holiday drinks. The union says it’s expecting more than 5,000 workers to take part in its “Red Cup Rebellion.” Around 30 stores also staged walkouts on Wednesday.
Tesla didn’t squelch United Auto Workers message when it cracked down on T-shirts, court says
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court in New Orleans says automaker Tesla did not infringe on its workers’ rights to unionize when it ordered employees at a California assembly plant to stop wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the United Auto Workers logo. The ruling this week from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals noted that Tesla allowed workers to affix pro-union stickers on to company-issued clothing. The court threw out a 3-2 decision issued last year by the National Labor Relations Board, which had said Tesla couldn’t prohibit union attire. The case involves clothing the company issued to workers to prevent damage to recently painted cars.
US and Philippines sign a nuclear cooperation pact allowing US investment and technologies
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The United States and the Philippines have signed a nuclear cooperation pact under which U.S. investment and technologies are to help the Southeast Asian nation transition to cleaner energy and bolster its power supply. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. witnessed the signing of the deal by his energy secretary and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco. Marcos says nuclear energy is expected to become a part of the Philippines’ energy mix by 2032. He says the pact will open doors for U.S. companies to invest and participate in nuclear power projects in the Philippines.
Stock market today: European shares up after a mixed session in Asia as week ends with solid gains
HONG KONG (AP) — World stocks are higher after a day of mixed trading in Asia, as most major markets looked set to end the week with solid gains. U.S. futures and oil prices advanced. Hong Kong sank 2.1%, dragged lower by a 9.8% slump in shares of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba following its cancellation of a plan to spin off its cloud computing unit. On Thursday, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq composite both rose 0.1%, while the Dow slipped 0.1%. November is on track to be the S&P 500’s best month in a year on rising hopes for a “Goldilocks” economy that’s just right for markets.
Walmart attracts more shoppers seeking to cut spending in Q3, but muted expectations spook investors
NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart extended its streak of strong quarterly gains heading into the holiday season as its low-prices continue to attract shoppers looking for deals in a tough economic environment. Walmart reported that it swung to a profit of $453 million in the three-month period ended Oct. 31. Adjusted earnings totaled $1.53 per share. Revenue rose 5.2% to $160.84 billion. Analysts were expecting $1.52 per share on sales of $159.65 billion, according to FactSet estimates. Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, is among the first batch of major U.S. retailers to report quarterly results. Industry analysts are dissecting the data, seeking to shed more light on how consumers are feeling as the holiday approaches.
U.S. applications for jobless claims rise as labor market begins to show some signs of cooling
More Americans filed for jobless claims last week, and while the labor market remains broadly healthy, there have been recent signs that it may finally be cooling. Applications for unemployment benefits rose by 13,000 to 231,000 for the week ending Nov. 11, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s the most in three months. Overall, 1.87 million people were collecting unemployment benefits the week that ended Nov. 4, about 32,000 more than the previous week and the most in almost two years. It was the sixth straight week that continuing claims rose.
Eating less meat would be good for the Earth. Small nudges can change behavior
NEW YORK (AP) — One of the thorniest problems of the 21st century is how to get people to eat less meat. A new poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that most U.S. adults said they eat meat at least several times a week. About two-thirds said they eat chicken or turkey that often, and 43% eat beef that frequently. Experts agree that the urgency of climate change and the demands of a surging global population call for an overhaul of how humans get their protein. That will require changing consumer behavior. One answer? Small nudges to eat less meat.
PG&E bills will go up by more than $32 per month next year in part to pay for wildfire protections
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — About 16 million people in California will pay higher electric and gas bills next year. The California Public Utilities Commission voted on Thursday to increase the typical bill for Pacific Gas & Electric customers by more than $32 per month. Much of that increase will pay for burying power lines in areas that are at high risk for wildfires. PG&E says burying power lines is the best way to reduce wildfire risk. But some consumer advocacy group say it is better to install a protective covering over power lines. They say protective coverings are cheaper and don’t not take as long to install.
