Latest news with #BrianKersey
UPI
04-08-2025
- Business
- UPI
Boeing defense machinists strike in Missouri, Illinois
Boeing machinists in Missouri and Illinois walked off their jobs Monday after refusing a contract proposal from the company. File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI | License Photo Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Three Boeing defense plants face a strike as 3,200 hourly machinists walked off their jobs. Members of the International Association of Machinists voted to strike at about 1 a.m. EDT Monday. "3,200 highly-skilled IAM Union members at Boeing went on strike at midnight because enough is enough," the union wrote on X. IAM Midwest Territory General Vice President Sam Cicinelli on Sunday urged a new contract for the workers. "IAM District 837 members build the aircraft and defense systems that keep our country safe. They deserve nothing less than a contract that keeps their families secure and recognizes their unmatched expertise," Cicinelli said. The striking members work at facilities in St. Louis and St. Charles, Mo., and Mascoutah, Ill., the union said. On July 27, they voted to reject a four-year contract proposal by the company. "We're disappointed our employees rejected an offer that featured 40% average wage growth and resolved their primary issue on alternative work schedules," Boeing said in a statement on Sunday, titled "Last, best and final offer." "We are prepared for a strike and have fully implemented our contingency plan to ensure our non-striking workforce can continue supporting our customers." The workers on strike build and maintain fighter jets, including the F-15 and F/A-18 models. They also build the T-7A Red Hawk trainer and the MQ-25 Stingray unmanned refueler. The F-47 stealth fighter jet, the Pentagon's next-generation fighter plane, is planned to be built at a Boeing plant in the St. Louis area, though the company hasn't said which plant will build it or when production will begin. Boeing also operates some nonunion plants in the area. Boeing Defense, Space and Security unit has recorded nearly $11 billion in losses from late 2021 through the end of 2024. Pentagon contracts that made the company responsible for cost overruns, including two new Air Force One jets, are the main cause. But this year, the unit has made profits. In the Boeing earnings call last week, CEO Kelly Ortberg said the company can weather the costs of the strike. He said it would be far less than the cost of last year's strike of 33,000 commercial plane unit workers. "The order of magnitude of this is much, much less than what we saw last fall," Ortberg said. "I wouldn't worry too much about the implications of the strike. We'll manage our way through that."
UPI
29-05-2025
- Business
- UPI
United Airlines to return to JFK Airport in partnership with JetBlue
United Airlines will reestablish a presence at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport under a new deal with JetBlue. File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI | License Photo May 29 (UPI) -- United Airlines will once again fly out of New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, via a partnership with JetBlue Airways. The two airlines announced Thursday they have reached an agreement, which they called "Blue Sky," that will see each airline offer flights from each other's websites but also continue to publish and market flights under their own brands. "Blue Sky reflects our airlines' shared focus on innovation and the customer experience," said United CEO Scott Kirby Thursday in a press release. "We're always looking for ways to give our MileagePlus members even more value and benefits and this collaboration gives them new, unique ways to use their hard-earned miles and find options that fit their schedule." United left JFK in 2015, then made a short return in 2021 before exiting again in 2022 because it wasn't able to secure longer-term slots there. Under the agreement, JetBlue will allow United access to slots at JFK for as many as seven daily round-trip flights out of the airport's Terminal 6, a deal which could begin as early as 2027. The airlines will also exchange eight flight timings at New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport as part of the arrangement. Additionally, each airline's loyalty program benefits, such as complimentary access to preferred and extra legroom seats, free first-checked bags and priority boarding, will be available to passengers when they travel on the other airline's aircraft. United will also shift its mobile app and website's ability to sell rental cars, hotels, cruises and travel insurance on both a stand-alone and package basis to the Paisly by JetBlue online platform. Blue Sky will also allow United's MileagePlus customers to earn and use miles on most JetBlue flights, while JetBlue's TrueBlue members can earn and use points for United flights within its domestic and international network. "This collaboration with United is a bold step forward for the industry" said JetBlue CEO Joanna Geraghty in the release, "United's global reach perfectly complements JetBlue's East Coast leisure network and significantly expands the options and benefits for TrueBlue members, no matter where in the world they are traveling."
UPI
20-05-2025
- Business
- UPI
U.S. agents in Houston confiscate fake Apple devices valued at more than $7M
Seaport trade enforcement agents at CBP's port in Houston announced it took at least 373,000 counterfeit USB lightning phone chargers out of some 7,460 cartons that displayed the trademarked Apple logo (such as pictured, 2014). File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI | License Photo May 20 (UPI) -- U.S. border agents in Texas seized hundreds of thousands of fake Apple USB chargers valued at millions of dollars. "Criminal networks are using e-commerce to ship their items to unsuspecting consumers and exploit the high volume of cargo processed by CBP," John Landry, acting area port director for U.S. Customs and Border Protection's port of Houston and Galveston, said Tuesday in a release. Authorities did not say when the confiscation took place. However, seaport trade enforcement agents at CBP's port in Texas announced it took at least 373,000 counterfeit USB lightning phone chargers out of some 7,460 cartons that displayed the trademarked Apple logo. Barely a day after Apple unveiled its latest wearable product 10 years ago, counterfeit Apple watches began to pop up on China's largest online shopping mall and other commerce outlets. According to Apple company officials and CBP experts, the products in the shipping containers in Texas were confirmed to be counterfeit, and they had an appraised street value of more than $7 million. Federal officials say its top seized infringed commodities by U.S. border agents over the last three years have been jewelry and watches along with fake handbags and wallets. On Tuesday, CBP's Landy said counterfeit activities "negatively impact American legitimate jobs and counterfeiters don't pay taxes." U.S. border officials added that China and Hong Kong are "consistently" the top two sources as nations tied to intellectual property right seizures. "They hurt innovation by stealing intellectual property from registered trademarks and the counterfeits are often produced under unsanitary labor exploitation conditions," Landry said. In fiscal year 2024, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials, seizures from China and Hong Kong accounted for roughly 90% of the total quantity seized. "Consumers deserve the real deal when spending their hard-earned money on these products," Landry said.
