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Dear Karen: I'm cutting costs and wondering whether cutting employee programs will cause resentment.
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The financial crisis, which has caused a dramatic decline in the value of the average worker's account, has undermined confidence in the system. >>
The financial crisis, which has caused a dramatic decline in the value of the average worker's account, has undermined confidence in the system. >>
Unions want the president-elect to enact rules to make it easier to unionize workplaces. But doing so could alienate business at a crucial time for the economy. >>
Spending pullbacks raise fears of higher unemployment in coming months. >>
The computer firm says it may cut as many as 6,000 jobs as it cuts costs to offset a 27% decline in sales of its high-end servers and as it undergoes extreme restructuring in a worsening economy. >>
Police seek Jing Wu, an engineer who worked at SiPort in Santa Clara. >>
The number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits hits a 25-year high in the week ended Nov. 1. Imports and exports drop in September. >>
PENSIONS
The country's largest public pension fund suffers a paper loss of $3.3 billion for the year ended June 30. An analysis says the loss was amplified by loans taken to ramp up the investments. >>
The 21-year veteran was stripped of a rank and kicked out of the LAX canine bomb unit after supporting a female officer's harassment charges. >>
MARKETING
Entrepreneurs are cashing in as items featuring President-elect Barack Obama have become a sales phenomenon. >>
BUSINESS BRIEFING
AUTOSVolvo to lay off 1,000 >>Some taxpayers urge an end to the compensation for firms that received federal rescue funds. >>
About 300,000 college-educated legal immigrants in the state, and 1.3 million nationwide, are unemployed or working in low-level jobs because their credentials aren't recognized here, a study finds. >>
SHIPPING
The shipping firm's job cuts include 300 at a distribution center in Riverside County. >>
BILL DWYRE
The game's most powerful agent is an easy target for fans, team executives and media, but those who blame him for skyrocketing salaries need to look in mirror, too. >>
SMALL BUSINESS
Entrepreneurs see falling employment and tighter credit standards, reports show. >>
In an open letter they say Iran faces deep economic problems, including stunted growth, double-digit inflation and widespread unemployment, contradicting recent statements by officials. >>
Theresa Parker has been embroiled in a controversy over a 27% pay hike but says her decision to depart is unrelated. >>
More big job losses in October paint a picture of recession. >>
The report sends stocks lower for a second straight day. More bad economic news is expected as the government reveals unemployment figures for October. >>
Now retired, he started when blacks were in the kitchen. >>
Dwindling financial resources are forcing many older people to stay in or return to the workforce. >>
MARKETS
Gains from the election-day rally are more than erased, with the Dow losing nearly 500 points. Employment data intensify economic concerns. >>
Where to find help online>>Hotels, construction firms and retailers saw business shrink in October as slower spending and declining employment sent the service sector into contraction, another gloomy sign for the economy. >>
The media company has been struggling with declines in advertising and circulation that prompted staff cuts this summer. >>
The state restricts officials from some types of outside work. >>
THE ECONOMY
The governor puts the nearly depleted fund on the agenda for a special session he intends to call next week. >>
Judges reverse a jury ruling for Lynn Magnandonovan, who said the L.A. city attorney's office had retaliated against her for filing a sex discrimination complaint and reporting misconduct. >>
The one-day action is called in bid to increase staffing levels and wages. Hospital officials say temporary workers were hired and patient care is unaffected. >>
As the state investigation ends, 1,041 people's records are found to have been subjected to snoops. >>
An additional 45 will be disciplined. Officials say breakdowns by human resources bureau may have allowed workers with criminal histories to have improperly obtained other health jobs. >>
LABOR
The resurgent United Food and Commercial Workers is scoring bargaining and organizing gains throughout California. Unionizing workers at the growing chain would be a high-profile win. >>
The giant, loss-laden pension fund learned lessons in the dot-com crash, president says. >>
One in seven asked by the VA said they had been harassed or assaulted during their military service. They are more likely to suffer from PTSD and substance abuse than others. >>
RETAIL
Consumers battered down by a weak economy, plunging stock market and rising unemployment rate set aside their worries and spend heartily on merchandise for the upcoming holiday. >>
California Briefing
Most of Santa Barbara County's 4,200 employees will be idled for two weeks starting in December because of a worsening budget crisis, officials said. The alternative would be to eliminate as many as 200 jobs. >>
An administrative judge says management wrongfully suspended 77 workers and pushed and threatened others for engaging in protected activities. Hilton officials say they're considering an appeal. >>
After five years of rate decreases, State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner signals such a hike would be justified on policies written after Jan. 1. >>
Despite the financial crisis, most are planning to pay workers as much as last year or more, including bonuses. >>
The former Fed chairman, in a four-hour grilling, says the breakdown of credit markets left him in 'shocked disbelief.' He warns of a significant rise in unemployment. >>
County employee unions aren't even fighting the plan to require voter approval of future pension increases. >>
Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff says he will seek to lift an injunction on a rule that would check for discrepancies in workers' Social Security data. >>
The cash-strapped automaker also plans to slash more jobs to cut costs. >>
The proposal to require voter approval of any future increases in county worker pensions is considered certain to pass. >>
The new program is being launched in response to a growing demand among service members for mental health care. >>
And the conversation at the annual Long Beach event takes some interesting turns. >>
Overtime totaled nearly $48 million in the last fiscal year, more than double its level eight years ago, the report by the county's performance audit director found. >>
Unusual step is intended to expand pool of poll workers and polling sites, county registrar says >>
The California pension fund's value has fallen 20% since July 1. The loss could lead to increased contributions from state and local government and school district employers. >>
The insurer will withhold severance and bonus payments from ex-CEO Martin Sullivan and its financial unit. New York Atty. Gen. Andrew Cuomo had demanded the firm stop 'extravagant' expenses. >>
INTERNET
About 1,500 employees will lose their jobs as part of the company's plan to slash costs. >>
It's too early to tell how the global economic crisis will affect the system. One supervisor worries the county might end up having to kick in a nine-figure sum to cover losses. >>
Working Americans once could rely on employer-based benefits. But more people are being forced into the individual market, where coverage is costly, bare-bones and precarious. >>
Third of three parts
The glass ceiling shows cracks, but it's still a man's virtual world. >>
A civil complaint against the United Long-Term Care Workers, already the focus of a spending scandal, contends that the March election of its president and his allies violated labor laws. >>
Tyrone Freeman, head of SEIU's largest California union local, ordered employees of a charity he ran to campaign for candidates, some ex-workers allege. >>
The scandal-plagued State Fund will get new oversight and must heed laws requiring openness. >>
Nurtured by California know-how and creativity, the video game industry has become a prolific generator of jobs and wealth for the state. >>
Organizers of the 2012 Summer Games are looking for ways to scrimp amid the worldwide credit crunch, tumbling domestic property values and rising unemployment. >>
THE ECONOMY
The September number does not reflect the more recent financial crisis. Economists predict that unemployment will rise. >>
DODGERS
Bidding for the star left fielder could exceed $100 million. The Dodgers must decide whether to pay the price. >>
BUSINESS BRIEFING
THE ECONOMYMortgage rates rise across board >>Workers renovating a rugby stadium have uncovered a vast complex of tombs beneath Rome that mimic the houses, blocks and streets of a real city, Italian officials said Thursday. >>
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., known for its strong stance against workers unionizing, on Thursday closed a tire and lube center in Canada where workers had voted to organize. >>
The attorney general warns of legal action if the firm does not alter its spending practices. >>
RETAIL
With bleak sales numbers expected, there'll be fewer jobs and more competition for them. >>
Success more often finds those with assets such as experience, cash and contacts. >>
CAMPAIGN '08
The 'first gentleman' also read official correspondence and went to closed Cabinet meetings, records and an investigation indicate. >>
The number of those suffering losses nationwide has surged about 75% from last year. >>
Here are ways to find out, including online rating sources. >>
CAMPAIGN '08
Alaska investigators say it was OK to fire a state commissioner, but her efforts against a trooper went too far. >>
GLOBAL ECONOMY
Flagging demand from trading partners leads to lower earnings and higher unemployment. >>
SILICON VALLEY
The entrepreneur, investor and book publisher urges young entrepreneurs and engineers to stop making silly software and start making a real difference in the world. >>
California Briefing
A California inmate condemned to die for the 1988 murder of an Orange County attorney was found dead in his cell Thursday, authorities said. >>
Last week, initial filings for unemployment fell by 20,000 to 478,000. But the number of Americans continuing to claim benefits rose to the highest total in more than five years: 3.66 million. >>
The employees say Auto Spa Express, which has a contract with the city, pays them far less than the Los Angeles ordinance requires. >>
Q & A
It's been a grim year for layoffs and job cuts with nine straight months of job losses, worsening in September when U.S. employers handed out the most pink slips of any month since 2003. All told, 760,000 people have lost their jobs this year. >>
A week at an OC spa can ease the pain of a bailout for callous, overpaid executives. >>
Staffers tell councilmen at a special meeting that the department is a rudderless ship and that general manager Ed Boks has not told them how to carry out his goal of creating a 'no kill' policy. >>
COMPENSATION
Rep. Henry Waxman grills Richard Fuld about compensation he received as the 158-year-old investment bank foundered. >>
Jurors deadlock in the case of four firefighters who allege that they were sexually harassed when they were ordered to take part in the 2007 gay pride parade. >>
Officials acknowledge abuses in program in which people work for years with low pay and no benefits. >>
Economists say the accelerating pace of unemployment, combined with the most severe credit crisis since the Great Depression, makes the label of 'recession' increasingly likely. >>
Spurred by the global economic crisis, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and others are meeting today on overhauling the financial system. >>
FROM OUR BLOGS
The long arm of Tom Short continues to reach its way across the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, even though he's been out of the labor organization for several months. >>
The GOP nominee responds to Obama's rising poll numbers by refocusing on three other states in play. >>
The Dow drops 348.22 points to 10,482.85 on worries that the bailout plan won't pass in the House -- or that it won't be enough to stave off recession. Factory orders are down, jobless claims up. >>
Four former employees were arrested after a tipster told a widow that her husband had been punched and tormented by an employee the night he died at Silverado Senior Living facility in Calabasas. >>
A measure that would have doubled permanent disability benefits is one of several opposed by business that are vetoed by the governor. >>
QUICK TAKES
India film workers go on strike >>
Hours will be reduced for hundreds of other temporary and part-time employees because of city budget cuts. >>
Each should be awarded $500,000 to $1 million for being taunted by spectators, the firemen's attorney says. The city's attorney says the plaintiffs deserve nothing. >>
Gov. Schwarzenegger signs two 'green chemistry' bills that focus the state program on the most dangerous substances. >>
The main proposals to rein in salaries build on existing rules. Oversight is seen as key to success. >>
Falling home prices, shrinking 401(k)s and job insecurity can affect performance. >>
To combat a high attrition rate of women in the profession, companies are adopting techniques to accommodate personal lives, such as part-time positions and longer maternity leaves. >>
PERSONAL FINANCE
One of the stickier issues to come up in the wrangling over how to bail out the imploding financial system is the question of how much money top executives at investment banks and other publicly traded companies are paid. >>
Executives of the top five firms were paid $3 billion in the last five years as mortgage securities proliferated. >>
The deal covers 1,900 sky captains, baggage handlers, wheelchair attendants, airplane cabin cleaners and security personnel. It improves wages but not healthcare benefits, union officials say >>
An SEIU spokeswoman says there's nothing improper about the payments. >>
For every rule put into place to curb executive compensation, a new loophole is found. And the bailout may be no different. >>
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which represents 15,000 workers, says adding another levy might encourage retailers to avoid California ports. >>
The civilian employee, who allegedly has ties to a white supremacist gang, also is suspected of leaking confidential police records. >>
School district office workers whose jobs were cut must show computer competence for a shot at reemployment. For some, it's a tall order. >>
A federal appellate panel rules in a suit that claims nearly 700 people were made sterile by exposure to DBCP. The plaintiffs are Shell Oil, Dow Chemical, Dole and O.C.-based Amvac Chemical. >>
Workers claim the San Francisco-based home-building company coerced them into working unpaid overtime, among other labor law violations. BMHC denies the allegations. >>
Robert Hill, a 25-year veteran, said superiors retaliated against him after he reported that a sergeant used racial epithets and may have been involved in embezzlement. Jurors vote 11-1 in his favor. >>
The legislation, which Bush has vowed to sign, overturns a series of Supreme Court rulings that limited who was covered by the Americans With Disabilities Act. >>
Editorial
The federal agency responsible for railroads should have the power to regulate workers' schedules. >>
Here are ways to stretch your resources until you land steady work. >>
FINANCIAL SYSTEM IN CRISIS
Work extra hours, save more, spend less -- those are strategies that'll help anyone. But if you're close to retirement, staying in the workforce longer (even if it's not for long) can really pay off. >>
Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne testifies that he's outraged and disgusted by the behavior of program employees. >>
Tyrone Freeman has been removed from the union's payroll after an internal report alleges improper spending practices similar to those revealed by The Times. >>
The company's chief executive calls allegations against him and the company frivolous and unfounded. >>
After Republican charge of stalling, George Miller says his committee is simply taking care not to interfere with criminal investigation. >>
Howard McKeon (R-Santa Clarita) suggests that the House labor committee chairman has delayed an inquiry because of the union's political support for Democrats. >>
Two government lots were sold for $1 each to a housing corporation that lacked the tax-exempt status it claimed. The group was founded under the direction of Tyrone Freeman, head of the local. >>
The Service Employees International Union says two lower-ranking staffers have lost their jobs because of allegations that others in the Los Angeles local were retaliated against. >>
Leaders of the two organizations are skeptical of union president's proposal. >>
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Insiders helped authorities recover more than $9.3 billion between 1996 and 2005. For their efforts, they get 15% to 25% of the amount reimbursed. >>
If you know how and where to look and have the proper training, well-paying positions abound in California. The state has resources to help you get them. >>
PERSONAL FINANCE
Many companies have responded to high prices by beefing up subsidies for commuting workers. >>
House committee joins other federal officials investigating six-figure payments made to firms owned by relatives of the chapter's president. The spending practices were reported earlier by The Times. >>
U.S. authorities are examining hundreds of thousands of dollars paid by the union and a related charity to firms owned by relatives of the Los Angeles local's president, sources say. >>
Rickman Jackson, former official in Los Angeles chapter, takes leave of absence from Michigan local. Action comes after Times reports of payments to firms owned by L.A. leader's family >>
It may seem counterintuitive, but a recession can lead to healthier populations when people decide to cut down on risky behavior. >>
In industries where pink slips are being passed out with abandon, the still-employed survivors are getting pretty bummed out. >>
President of California's largest local says it will be placed under a temporary trustee after Los Angeles Times stories reported payments to firms owned by his wife and mother-in-law. >>
The SEIU local allegedly made it nearly impossible for others to compete with the slate of leader Tyrone Freeman, whose financial dealings have drawn scrutiny. >>
Caregivers' advocates react to report on United Long-Term Care Workers and its chief, Tyrone Freeman. With 160,000 members, the local is the largest in California. >>
Reps. John Dingell and Bart Stupak want to know: If a mentally unstable scientist like Bruce Ivins could remain in a federal lab for so long, how safe are other labs? >>
Hospitals scramble for pharmacy technicians, lab scientists and other trained workers as baby boomers age and retire. >>
Undocumented college students endure hardships over their status, then see an uncertain future. >>
Sick days
U.S. employees are making do with fewer days or none at all as companies reduce the benefit. Lawmakers are stepping in. >>
Applicants from 14 states and three countries are on the list of candidates. Supervisors invite the public's opinion at a May 6 meeting. >>
COLUMN ONE
With the inflation rate at 100,000%, educators simply can't afford to teach. They are fleeing to take menial, but better-paying jobs -- leaving students behind. >>
Fear is spreading with the financial system in disarray. But the global boom is ongoing, unemployment is low and the government has new tools to address the downturn. >>
AUTOMOTIVE
The automaker says it will shut down all operations for two weeks in July. >>
COLUMN ONE
To support her family, an undocumented worker gathers recyclables from street-side containers. 'I do it out of necessity,' she says.
Audio photo gallery | >> COLUMN ONE
For access to Silicon Valley camaraderie and capital, you can't beat the informal Founders spread. >>
CAMPAIGN '08
Latinos and blue-collar whites, two mainstays of Clinton support, are being aggressively courted in crucial primary states. >>
Gratuity jars beckon on every counter, but customers decide who deserves a little extra >>
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