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May
20, 2008
The
Latest Business Headlines from WWJ Newsradio 950
Plastech
Selling Business | It plans to auction main
businesses and is negotiating a sale of its interiors
business to Johnson Controls, The Wall Street Journal
reports. | Story
Axle
Workers Vote | Striking workers at American
Axle and Manufacturing are voting on a new contract
with the auto parts maker that would cut their pay by
about one-third. | Story
GM,
UAW Resume Talks | General Motors and the United
Auto Workers have ended an impasse and resumed talks
to settle a strike at a Kansas plant, Bloomberg reports.
| Story
Ford
Plans Smaller Trucks | A major revamping of
its U.S. truck lineup is in response to high gas prices
and a consumer shift to fuel-efficient vehicles, The
Detroit News reports. | Story
Windstar
Fire Probe | Regulators are looking into 130
complaints that fires occurred in the engine compartments
of Ford Windstar mid-size vans from the 95-03 model
years. | Story
Oil
Kills Rally | A record for oil prices and weakness
in the tech sector quashed a stock rally. The Dow, up
nearly 150 points at its high Monday, finished 41 points
higher. | Story
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Stories
marked with 
have a related podcast at WWJ.com. |
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to WWJ Newsradio 950 live on the Web anytime 
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SURVEY:
HEALTH CARE COSTS UP 7% ON AVERAGE; COMPANIES MOVE TO
REIN IN COSTS
 The
cost of employer-provided health care benefits in southeast
Michigan went up an average of 7 percent in 2008, compared
with a year earlier, a survey finds. Employers that
were able to buck that trend did so by passing more
costs to employees and implementing programs designed
to help workers live healthier lives.
The
survey, from Troy-based benefits consultant
McGraw
Wentworth,
included 376 southeast Michigan-based organizations
with 100-10,000 employees. Among them, the survey found,
are some employers that are keeping their benefit cost
increases to 2 percent or less by implementing a variety
of cost-sharing and cost-saving measures.
The companies best at keeping costs increases down –
McGraw Wentworth dubbed them "TrendBenders"
– used such cost-control techniques as increased
deductibles and co-pays for those covered; eligibility
management strategies such as audits and spousal surcharges;
and wellness initiatives, including health risk appraisals
and surcharges for smokers. More...
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Feldman
Report: Expert Says Hold the Phone After Applying Online
They asked you to apply online and you did. Should you
call to follow up? That's a bad idea, says Therese Boldt
of McShane Professional Search based in West Bloomfield.
She tells WWJ and Fox 2 News reporter Murray Feldman
that it's best to wait a few days, then send a follow-up
e-mail that specifically asks whether the application
was received. It's also good to cultivate a source inside
the company. 
Study:
Having Less Power Impairs the Mind, Ability to Get Ahead
Your job could be bad for your brain. New research appearing
in a scientific journal suggests that being put in a
low-power role may impair a person's basic cognitive
functioning and thus, his or her ability to get ahead.
More...
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 ECONOMIC
CLOUDS TO LINGER, FORECASTERS SAY: First
the good news: The worst of the painful housing slump
and the credit crunch might come to an end this year.
Now the bad: The economy will weaken further and unemployment
will rise. That's the latest outlook from forecasters
in a survey to released by the National Association
for Business Economics. A growing number of economists
believe the country is on the brink of a recession or
in one already, dragged down by all the problems in
housing, credit and financial markets. Now 56 percent
of the economists think the economy has started or will
enter a recession this year. That's up from 45 percent
in a survey in February. If there is a recession, it
probably will be short and shallow, economists said.
More...
LEADING
INDICATORS SHOW ECONOMY REMAINS SLUGGISH: A
private business group said Monday that its index of
leading economic indicators edged higher in April, a
sign the economy remains sluggish but could skirt a
dramatic downturn. The New York-based Conference Board
said its forecast of future economic activity rose 0.1
percent in April, matching a 0.1 percent increase in
March. Economists had expected a 0.1 decrease in April.
More...
MOST
WORKERS WOULD TAKE LOWER PAY FOR A DREAM JOB:
The
majority of
workers in the U.S. and Europe would take a pay cut
if it meant landing the job of their dreams, according
to a survey by Monster Worldwide Inc., which operates
the Monster.com online employment Web site. More...
 LEARN
ABOUT SELLING TO THE GOVERNMENT: Have
you ever considered selling to the government, but have
no idea where to begin? Do you sell to the government
now but wonder if you could be doing a better job of
expanding the relationship? Join WWJ Technology Matt
Roush and special guests for this month’s Last
Thursdays Unwired Coffee Series event at Lawrence Technological
University, “Selling to the Government,”
on May 22. More...
BEST
WEB SITES FOR JOB SEEKERS:
Weddle's, a research, publishing, consulting
and training firm based in Stamford, Conn., asked visitors
to its Web site to vote for their favorite job boards
on the Internet. The result: 30 job-related Web sites
awarded the Weddle's 2008 User's Choice Awards. To see
which sites made the cut, and to cast your vote for
the 2009 winners, click
here.
COMPANIES
HELP WORKERS COMMUTE: As
gas gets closer to $4 a gallon, the pain at the pump
is becoming excruciating for some commuters. Forbes.com
columnist Tara Weiss says some employers have taken
notice and are doing things to help. "Take Ft.
Collins, Colo.-based New Belgium Brewing Co.,"
Weiss writes, "When an employee reaches the one-year
mark with the company, they're given a bike and encouraged
to ride it to work. No need to worry about messy hair
or sweaty clothes – the company provides showers."
To read the entire column, click
here.
WORLDWIDE
AUTOMOTIVE REPORT PODCAST: Did American Axle
get what it needed from new UAW deal? Is Volvo for sale?
Chrysler extends its $2.99 a gallon gasoline promotion.
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Editorial
Staff:
The Daily Dash - Tuesday edition is written and edited by James Melton, Ed Coury, and Matt Roush |
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