Free Republic

Plunging rates for chartering container vessels that carry sneakers, furniture and flat-screen TVs may signal a U.S. consumer slowdown and losses for shipping lines in what is traditionally their busiest time of the year. Fees for hiring vessels have fallen 9.3 percent since the end of April, according to the Howe Robinson Container Index, which tracks charter rates for a range of vessels. Last year, the index surged 56 percent in the period, as lines added ships on demand from U.S. and European retailers restocking for the back-to-school and holiday shopping periods. “The troubling part is that charter rates are...

"...On the fraught issue of school choice, his foundation has been a strong advocate of charter schools, and Mr. Gates is particularly fond of the KIPP charter network and its focus on serving inner-city neighborhoods. "Whenever you get depressed about giving money in this area," he volunteers, "you can spend a day in a KIPP school and know that they are spending less money than the dropout factory down the road." Mr. Gates is less enamored of school vouchers. "Some in the Walton family"—of Wal-Mart fame—"have been very big on vouchers," he begins. "And honestly, if we thought there would...

WASHINGTON -- President Obama's rocky relationship with unions took a few more lumps Wednesday as labor groups pounded both a deficit-cutting proposal he embraced as well as the White House's praise of Walmart. AFL-CIO boss Richard Trumka started by hammering the Gang of Six proposal released Tuesday that would cut the deficit by $3.7 trillion over 10 years, in part by limiting popular middle class deductions for home mortgages, health insurance and retirement savings -- a plan Obama hailed Tuesday. "Both parties keep telling us that deficit reduction requires 'tough choices' and 'shared sacrifice' and 'taking on sacred cows,'" Trumka...

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama has announced a plan for retailers to bring fresh fruit and vegetables to poor and underserved communities, as part of her effort to increase access to healthy foods and combat childhood obesity. At the White House Wednesday, Mrs. Obama said studies show that people who have greater access to supermarkets and fresh fruits have lower instances of obesity. The plan will see Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, and drugstore giant Walgreens, opening 1,500 stores, along with other regional retailers, in areas across the country where people have little or no access to fresh produce. The...

First Lady Michele Obama today announced that several large grocery chains, including Walmart, will add 1,500 new grocery stores over the next five years in poor communities that lack access to fresh foods. The stores are expected to reach 9.5 million people. The First Lady called the initiative a "game-changer for kids and communities all across this country." "We can give people all the information and advice in the world about healthy eating and exercise, but if parents can't buy the food they need to prepare those meals because their only options for groceries are the gas station or the...

‘The Undefeated,’ a new documentary about Sarah Palin that pays glowing tribute to the GOP pol, hits red-state theaters today. Marlow Stern reviews the film and talks with director Stephen K. Bannon about its omissions, Michele Bachmann, 2012, and the filmmaking bomb he’ll drop before the Iowa caucus. With the exception of her recent confession to NEWSWEEK, Sarah Palin has remained coy about her 2012 plans. A new fawning documentary, however, hopes to lure the Mama Grizzly out of campaign hibernation. Stephen K. Bannon’s film, The Undefeated, opens with a dizzying barrage of Palin insults by celebrities, ranging from Matt...

Scenarios of a military conflict with a rising China are pointless if they leave out a glaring detail—the global economy. Multiple news outlets recently carried stories about a Chinese antiship ballistic missile (ASBM) that could target U.S. aircraft carriers at sea.1 It was just the latest in a long-running stream of news coverage and concerned dialogue over China’s expanding military capabilities and influence. As China’s growing strength gains greater global attention, more and more time, energy, and money will be spent asking how the United States will counter an increasingly capable Chinese military. For some within defense circles, this is...

Mayor Thomas M. Menino may be reluctant to roll out the welcome mat for Wal-Mart, but some Boston residents say they want the jobs and low-priced goods. The battle over bringing a Wal-Mart to the city is heating up. On one side are Menino and activists who have criticized the retail giant’s wages and benefits, while on the other side are city residents who insist the mayor should bring Wal-Mart — and its jobs and rock-bottom prices — to Boston. Darnell Williams, president of the Urban League of Massachusetts, ratcheted up the debate last week when he told the Boston...

just one line in the newsweek article. But i thought it should be highlighted for those looking to be able to see the movie

In a great public service - as well as a PR coup - the company put $4 million into the Summer Youth Employment Program, with $1 million more from other private sources, enough to hire 3,400 young people. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz were forced to acquiesce in accepting

Wal-Mart has seen growth of 4.4% in revenue resulting in net income growth of 3% in its world-wide operations, thanks particularily to successes in Mexico, China and Chile. However, corporate growth has been pulled down by its US operations, which have seen sales drop by 1.1% in the same period. Despite good news in its world wide operations, the drop in US sales remains a cause for concern since 62% of the retailer's revenue come from US shoppers. Although the economy within the US, especially rising gasoline prices, have hurt the retailer's domestic growth, that doesn't completely explain Wal-Mart's troubles....

Wal-Mart SEIU Join In Support for Health Reform, Including Employer Mandate…Workers Caring for Seniors and People With Disabilities Need Minimum Wage and Overtime Protections…. As the nation’s largest private employer, the nation’s largest union of health care workers ,… we have worked closely in support of health care reform … we are coming together to … to reform our nation’s health care system.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc and its foundation said on Thursday that it had committed $25 million to help provide food, education and jobs for children during school summer break, but opponents of the retailer's urban expansion plans questioned its motives. The new campaign from the world's largest retailer, and the Walmart Foundation, comes after April's announcement that Wal-Mart and its foundation gave away $316 million in cash and $480 million in in-kind contributions in the fiscal year that ended on January 31. A significant part of that giving directed to local food banks. Wal-Mart has been steadily increasing the volume of...

The Supreme Court on Monday handed down its decision in Wal-Mart v. Dukes, a nearly decade-old class-action lawsuit involving more than 1.5 million women who worked at the retail giant since 1998. The plaintiffs argued that the company showed favoritism to men in decisions regarding pay and promotions, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Two lower courts gave the suit a green light, but the Supreme Court stopped it in its tracks. The key and most divisive question was whether it could be proved that Wal-Mart systematically and intentionally violated the rights of women it employed....

She may be five foot and weigh 125lbs, but that didn't stop one mother chasing down three burly brothers, suspected of stealing from a Walmart store. The aptly named Monique Lawless, 42, from Alvin, Texas, ended up with a scratched face, broken lip and scrapes to her legs, after she launched herself onto the alleged thieves' car in an attempt to stop them. The young men drove off with Ms Lawless clinging onto the side door, but were later arrested at another Walmart nearby after an hour-long police chase. (snip) Ms Lawless, an engineering safety specialist at Boeing, had been...

Walmart has scored a crucial victory in the world’s largest sex discrimination case after the US Supreme Court threw out a class action lawsuit against it that sought to encompass more than 1m people. The decision is likely to have wide-ranging implications for the course of legal disputes between big business and workers in the US because it will establish new standards plaintiffs must meet in order to mount class actions. Walmart was accused by six plaintiffs of paying women in the US less than men and of passing them over for promotion, but they had sought to represent a...

— The Supreme Court blocked the largest sexual-discrimination lawsuit ever from proceeding as a class action on Monday, handing a victory to Wal-Mart in a case that pitted the massive retailer against millions of its female employees. The court’s decision could have broad implications for workers seeking jointly to sue their employers. The justices overturned an earlier U.S. appeals court ruling that gave class-action status to 1.5 million female Wal-Mart employees, past and present, seeking billions of dollars in a suit accusing the retailer of paying women less and giving them fewer promotions at the company

The US Supreme Court on Monday ruled for Wal-Mart Stores Inc in the largest sex-discrimination lawsuit ever, overturning a decision that gave class-action status for female employees seeking billions of dollars. The justices overturned a U.S. appeals court ruling that more than a million female employees nationwide could join together in the lawsuit accusing Wal-Mart of paying women less and giving them fewer promotions. Justice Antonin Scalia said for the court majority that the certification of the class was not consistent with a federal rule, and the back pay claims were also improperly certified. More soon...

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court has ruled for Wal-Mart in its fight to block a massive sex discrimination lawsuit on behalf of women who work there. The court ruled unanimously Monday that the lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. cannot proceed as a class action, reversing a decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The lawsuit could have involved up to 1.6 million women, with Wal-Mart facing potentially billions of dollars in damages. Now, the handful of women who brought the lawsuit may pursue their claims on their own, with much less money at stake and...

It Was A Great Recession While It Lasted Sun June 5, 2011 1:26 am NEWS PROVIDED BY: McClatchy It was a "great" recession while it lasted. Hollywood couldn't have written better drama. Thousands of workers laid off and small businesses closed with nothing but a wink from Washington while the nation's largest corporations merit huge federal bailouts at the expense of taxpayers desperately juggling rising costs and shrinking wages. Now the doctors of economics have pronounced the recession dead and say U.S. consumers have been in recovery for months. OK, who feels better already? "Now hiring" signs are reappearing and...