LABOR
Judge rules Walmart strikes protected
A National Labor Relations Board judge has ruled that Walmart unlawfully disciplined workers who staged protests in 2013 and ordered the retailer to reinstate 16 former employees, as well as give them back pay.
Judge Geoffrey Carter ruled that the employee actions were protected under the National Labor Relations Act and that Walmart violated labor laws by "disciplining or discharging several associates because they were absent from work while on strike."
The judge also ordered Walmart to hold a meeting in 29 stores throughout the country to inform employees of their right to strike, and to promise not to threaten or discipline employees for doing so.
The complaint was filed on behalf of the labor-backed group "Our Walmart," which called it a huge victory.
The decision, posted on the labor board's website late Thursday, arrived one day after the nation's largest private employer announced raises for more than 1.2 million U.S. hourly workers, which is most of them. The retailer said in October that it would invest $ 2.7 billion in its workforce over two years.
In a statement, Walmart spokesman Kory Lundberg said that the retailer disagreed with the judge's findings and that it will pursue all of its options to defend the company. It called its actions "legal and justified."
— Associated Press
HEALTH CARE
Cigna suspended
from enrollments
Federal regulators have stopped Cigna from enrolling new Medicare customers until the health insurer deals with problems that have triggered care denials or delays and higher costs for some people.
The insurer, which is being acquired by the Blue Cross-Blue Shield carrier Anthem, has a "longstanding history" of not complying with requirements from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, according to a letter the agency sent to Cigna this week.
"The nature of Cigna's noncompliance provides sufficient basis for CMS to find the presence of a serious threat to enrollees' health and safety," the letter said.
Cigna said in a regulatory filing Friday that it is cooperating with federal officials and working to resolve the issues as quickly as possible. It said the suspension doesn't affect current customers.
Cigna sells Medicare Advantage plans, which are privately run versions of the government's Medicare program, in several states. Coverage focuses on people over age 65 and the disabled. The insurer also offers prescription drug coverage known as Part D for Medicare enrollees.
CMS said Cigna has "substantially failed" to provide services and benefits in accordance with its requirements. It said customers seeking prescription drugs have been inappropriately denied coverage, had access to prescriptions delayed, never received the drugs or had to pay increased out-of-pocket costs.
— Associated Press
Also in Business
● The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said one person has died because of a strain of listeria linked to packaged salads produced by Dole in its Springfield, Ohio, facility. The CDC said 12 people in six states have been hospitalized in the outbreak since July after eating salads sold under the names Dole, Fresh Selections, Simple Truth, Marketside, the Little Salad Bar and President's Choice. The company notified the CDC on Thursday that it had stopped all production at the processing facility and was withdrawing all packaged salads produced there, the agency said Friday.
● General Electric topped Wall Street expectations for the fourth quarter and reaffirmed its target for 2016, but its shares slipped in afternoon trading as the company's industrial revenue declined. The industrial conglomerate on Friday reported earnings of 52 cents per share, excluding the financial operations it's shedding, on $ 33.9 billion in revenue. Analysts had predicted per-share earnings of 49 cents and revenue of $ 35.91 billion, according to FactSet. Revenue from the company's industrial segment slipped 1 percent, to $ 31.4 billion.
● National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officials said Friday that a Ford pickup driver killed last month in South Carolina was the ninth person to die in the United States and the 10th to die worldwide in incidents involving Takata air-bag inflators that explode, firing off shrapnel-like shards. NHTSA also said it is recalling 5 million additional vehicles with potentially defective air bags. In the United States, about 23 million Takata air-bag inflators have been recalled on 19 million vehicles sold by a dozen manufacturers.
● Home-rental price growth turned tame in December — a sign that a burst of apartment construction last year may be relieving cost pressures. Real estate data firm Zillow said Friday that median rent rose a seasonally adjusted 3.3 percent from a year ago. The median rent nationwide has held steady at $ 1,381 a month since August, after having previously surged dramatically above the pace of wage growth. Rents edged up just 0.4 percent in Chicago, 1.8 percent in Philadelphia, and 1.6 percent in St. Louis.
● Morgan Stanley chief executive James Gorman received a $ 4.6 million stock bonus for his performance in 2015, up 5 percent from the year before, according to a regulatory filing. The 183,678 shares come in addition to Gorman's $ 1.5 million salary, cash, deferred cash and long-term incentives. Gorman's overall compensation is expected to be down modestly from last year's pay of $ 22.5 million, a Morgan Stanley spokesman said.
— From news services
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