Latest news with #contract dispute
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Dispute over a major port contract threatens Haiti's fragile political stability
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The leader of Haiti's transitional presidential council claimed Wednesday that one of its communications employees was threatened and forced to publish a press release about a key contract involving the country's biggest port and two well-known members of its elite. The incident has deepened infighting within the council and further strained relations between Haiti's government and its private sector as a wealthy businessman prepares to take over the council's presidency on Thursday.
Forbes
4 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Gate Gourmet Workers Have A Good Contract: Will Sky Chefs Match?
The contract covering 10,000 airline catering workers at LSG Sky Chefs was last amended in 2016, more than nine years ago. It became amendable again in 2018. So far, despite years of negotiations, no deal has been reached. Last July, about 8,000 workers at Gate Gourmet, the other leading airline caterer, reached a tentative deal, which was ratified in August. Their contract had also become amendable on Dec. 31, 2018. A big difference in negotiations was that the Gate Gourmet workers had been released to strike by the National Mediation Board. The tentative agreement came late at night on Friday, July 26. on Friday night, with a strike looming. By contrast, the LSG Sky Chef workers have not been released. Moreover, given that the Trump administration has been less favorable to labor unions than the Biden administration was, a release seems less likely, which means less pressure on negotiators. The workers, represented by Unite Here, plan demonstrations on Thursday at 16 major airports, listed at the end of this story. 'We've been negotiating with Sky Chefs since the end of 2018,' said Unite Here spokeswoman Megan Cohorst. 'It's always been a long process to get a contract under the Railway Labor Act. We're fighting for higher wages and an affordable health care plan that doesn't cost workers a lot of money for basic health care.' Cohorst declined to comment on the impact of the change in presidential administrations. In a prepared statement, Unite Here noted that the contract with Gate Gourmet offers 'a life-changing new contract with significant raises and better, affordable health care.' The company pays for 90% of the plan and there is no deductible. Sky Chefs, in a prepared statement, said that it 'remains engaged in active negotiations regarding our current labor agreement, under the RLA with oversight from the National Mediation Board. We have mutually scheduled bargaining sessions with Unite Here for August and look forward to continuing discussions in good faith.' RLA is the Railway Labor Act. Talks are scheduled for next week in Baltimore. The LSG Sky Chef workers plan to demonstrate Thursday at airports at Baltimore, Boston, Chicago (O'Hare), Denver, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis, New York (JFK), Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Sacramento, Seattle, and Washington (DCA). A picket at LAX is scheduled for August 8. Cohorst said demonstrations will focus on airlines -- including American, Delta, United, and Alaska – serviced by LSG kitchens. Unite Here said airline catering workers prepare, pack, and deliver food and beverages served aboard flights. 'Though their work is essential to airline operations, requiring skill and precision to prevent flight delays and ensure food safety, workers report that they earn poverty wages, and that the employer-provided health care plan is too expensive,' the union said. Some LSG Sky Chef workers make less than $15 hourly, the union said.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Zhao Lusi cut ties with agency: I quit!
4 Aug - After falling ill late last year and taking over six months to heal, 26-year-old mainland Chinese actress Zhao Lusi announced that she is quitting her agency. The actress, who previously sparked a departure rumour after dropping her agency, Yinhekuyu Media (aka Galaxy Cool), published a new post on social media on 2 August, criticising the agency. Revealing her eight-month dispute with Galaxy Cool Entertainment, which began when she fell ill last year, Lusi described her four-year contract as a "stupid renewal." She accused the agency of using her illness and needing to reduce her workload as an excuse to force her to cancel some of her brand endorsements, while ultimately leaving her with the remaining costs. She angrily denounced, "You keep saying you're responsible for my unexpected illness, yet I'm the one paying for it. Are you saying you're taking money from my studio without even negotiating?" Lusi directly claimed that her financial department was deceived into signing a separate bill and had already paid RMB 2.05 million in compensation. However, after a long wait of eight months, she not only failed to regain the operating rights of her studio, but also faced the disbandment of the production team, and ultimately had to pay the compensation. Frustrated, she bluntly declared, "Don't ban me anymore. I quit." Earlier this year, Lusi admitted that she had been suffering from depression since more than five years ago due to abuse from a former boss, and accused the other party of taking a huge sum of money before letting her leave. Lusi revealed that she began experiencing depression in 2019, but everyone around her told her to "don't make a big deal about it". It wasn't until 2021, when she began experiencing allergic symptoms, that she began seeking treatment from a psychologist to relieve her stress. In 2023, due to the impact of various ailments such as pneumonia, emphysema, urticaria, sensorineural hearing loss, and the death of a loved one, she began to experience frequent somatic symptoms such as retching, dizziness, joint pain, and cervical pain, as well as worsening allergies. (Photo Source: Zhao Lusi IG)
Washington Post
15-07-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Why are so many NFL rookies still unsigned as training camps arrive?
The threat of a prized NFL rookie missing time on the training camp practice field because of a contract dispute mostly is a fading memory. That scenario has been all but erased by the league's rookie pay system that was implemented as part of the 2011 labor deal between team owners and the players' union. But there's a bit of an issue this summer as camp reporting dates arrive for teams. There are 32 players chosen in April's NFL draft still unsigned, including two first-round picks and 30 of the 32 second-round selections. 'It's highly unusual that you have almost an entire round that's not the first round unsigned,' said Joel Corry, a former agent and now a contracts and salary cap expert for CBS Sports. 'This looks more like the pre-rookie wage scale stuff prior to 2011. And even then, you didn't have this many picks of an entire round unsigned as training camp approached.' The second-round logjam has resulted from a negotiating impasse between players and teams over fully guaranteed contracts. The portion of guaranteed money in the players' contracts is one of the few items that needs to be negotiated under the rookie pay system. 'Any time there's anything at all to be negotiated, there's the potential for this to happen,' said one agent who represents a player drafted in the second round. 'It's your job to get the best possible deal for your client.' That agent and several others who represent second-rounders expect deals to get done either right on time or soon thereafter. 'It's a deadline league,' the agent said. Under the NFL rookie pay system, rookies selected in the draft sign four-year contracts (undrafted rookies get three-year deals). Teams have a fifth-year option on first-round choices. The value of the contract is not precisely determined by the player's draft slot, but there is a narrow range for each draft spot. Some contract mechanisms commonly seen in deals involving veteran players, such as option bonuses and voidable years, are prohibited. So most of the haggling between teams and the players' agents occurs over details such as the amount of guaranteed money in the deal and issues related to contract language. Until this year, no player chosen in the second round ever had received a fully guaranteed contract. In May, the Houston Texans signed the second selection of the second round, wide receiver Jayden Higgins, to a fully guaranteed four-year contract worth just more than $11.7 million. The Cleveland Browns followed by signing the opening pick of the second round, linebacker Carson Schwesinger, to a fully guaranteed four-year deal worth just more than $11.8 million. The question has become how deep into the second-round draft order the cutoff for fully guaranteed contracts will extend. Next in line is safety Nick Emmanwori, the third selection of the second round by the Seattle Seahawks. He's represented by prominent agent David Mulugheta. 'If [Nos.] one and two have gotten fully guaranteed contracts,' Corry said, 'David Mulugheta is going to want a fully guaranteed contract' for Emmanwori. The player chosen fourth in the second round by the Browns, running back Quinshon Judkins, was arrested Saturday in Fort Lauderdale on a battery charge in an alleged domestic violence case. The Los Angeles Chargers had their rookies report to training camp Saturday. Wide receiver Tre Harris, their second-round pick, was not on hand. A group of teams had their rookies scheduled to report Tuesday. For most teams, their veteran players report to camps next week and full-squad practices begin soon after. The New Orleans Saints have their rookies and veterans scheduled to report to camp next Tuesday. The stakes could be particularly high for them because quarterback Tyler Shough, unsigned after being selected with the eighth choice of the second round, could be their starter following the offseason retirement of Derek Carr. Shough's negotiations might be a bit different from those of other second-rounders, as quarterbacks are sometimes able to secure more favorable contract terms. 'Some of these things will get done, if not at the rookie reporting date, the veteran reporting date,' Corry said. 'People don't want to look foolish. So everyone has decided to table it until there's more information. That's really what it comes down to. … Let's say Shough gets done and then [Nos.] seven and eight get done and you went first at No. 5 and you don't have a fully guaranteed contract. That's the fear. That's why people are waiting.' The unsigned first-round picks are Cincinnati Bengals pass rusher Shemar Stewart and Denver Broncos cornerback Jahdae Barron. Stewart's negotiating stalemate with the Bengals has resulted from a dispute over contract language related to the potential voiding of guarantees. The rookie pay system generally has worked as intended. The league and owners wanted to curb ever-more-expensive contracts being given to unproven rookies and eliminate the long absences from training camps that complicated, high-stakes negotiations often produced. The players were willing to agree to that, on the premise that the money teams saved on rookies would be spent on veteran players under the salary cap system. In 2010, quarterback Sam Bradford signed a six-year, $78.05 million contract that included $50 million in guaranteed money after being selected first overall in the NFL draft by the Rams, then based in St. Louis. A year later, with the rookie pay system in effect, quarterback Cam Newton signed a fully guaranteed four-year, $22.03 million deal with the Carolina Panthers after being drafted first overall. This year's No. 1 overall pick, quarterback Cam Ward, signed a four-year contract with the Tennessee Titans worth a fully guaranteed $48.8 million. Under this system, teams regularly get their rookies signed well ahead of the opening of training camps. Camp absences due to contract disputes have become rare. 'At some point the agents, some of these players aren't going to want to miss time. … They're not under contract, so you can't fine them,' Corry said. 'The only thing is they'll be missing time, which can help them with a starting job. That's why I think Tyler Shough is counting on the Saints caving, because they want him to start. So do they really want to go to war with him over this issue and have him miss reps?'
