RadioShack will pay $9 million to settle longstanding allegations that it broke federal labor law, said a law firm representing plaintiffs in the case. The agreement was approved by U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer in Chicago, ending a five-year class-action suit alleging that RadioShack violated overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Distribution of the settlement to the class is expected to start late this year or early in 2008, RadioShack said in an SEC filing. RadioShack took on an $8.5 million pretax expense last year to cover a preliminary settlement (CED July 24/06 p5). Pallmeyer found that some managers at RadioShack’s so-called Y stores -- those with annual revenue over $500,000 -- were misclassified as exempt from the FLSA provision that requires overtime pay for work outside the standard 40-hour week (CED Sept 19/05 p3). The law exempts executives and managers who “customarily and regularly” supervise two or more employees. Store managers Alphonse Perez and Douglas Philips, lead plaintiffs in a 2003 class- action suit with 3,300 class members, said managing wasn’t their duty and they didn’t qualify for exemption.
The International Trade Administration has issued its final results of the antidumping duty administrative review of polyethylene retail carrier bags from Thailand for the period of August 1, 2005 through July 31, 2006.
The AT&T-Dobson Communications merger order could have long-term effects on the wireless marketplace, creating as it does a new, higher screen level for when a merger raises market power concerns, industry officials said. The order (CD Nov 16 p10) states that with the addition of 700 MHz spectrum to be auctioned next year, a merged carrier can hold up to 94 MHz of spectrum in a given market without triggering more detailed FCC review. The previous standard was 70 MHz. Sources said the provision was made part of the order at the suggestion of Wireless Bureau Chief Economist Walter Strack.
The International Trade Administration has issued its final results of the antidumping duty administrative review of chlorinated isocyanurates from Spain for the period of December 20, 2004 through May 31, 2006.
New Games: A limited-edition holiday charity game pack -- including Xbox games Cars from THQ, Fuzion Frenzy from Microsoft and Open Season from Ubisoft -- is shipping nationwide to retailers at $29.99, the Entertainment Software Association Foundation announced. Proceeds of the multidisc set will go to the ESA Foundation “to support positive programs for America’s youth,” it said. Retailers carrying the pack are Amazon.com, Best Buy, Blockbuster, Circuit City, CompUSA, Costco, Fred Meyer, Fry’s Electronics, Game Crazy, GameStop, Kmart, Meijer, the Nebraska Furniture Mart, Sam’s Club, Sears, Target, Toys “R” Us, Trans World Entertainment and Wal-Mart… Its first week available, the Xbox 360 version of Activision’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was the top-rented videogame, according to preliminary Rentrak Home Video Essentials data for the week ended Sunday. The PS3 version was No. 9. Call of Duty 4 was the only new release in the top 10. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 game Halo 3 -- the previous week’s No. 1 game -- slid to No. 2 its seventh week… Hellgate: London by Electronic Arts was the best- selling PC game in the U.S. the week ended Nov. 3, according to NPD. A collector’s edition of the game was No. 2. EA’s Half-Life 2: The Orange Box followed at No. 3. Half-Life 2 was the best-selling PC game in the U.S. in October, NPD said. The standard version of Hellgate: London was No. 2, and the collector’s edition was No. 9. Two other new releases made the top 10: Atari’s Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer Expansion Pack at No. 3 and Her Interactive’s Nancy Drew: Legend of the Crystal Skull at No. 7. EA’s The Sims 2 Bon Voyage Expansion Pack -- September’s top PC game - - fell to No. 6.
The International Trade Administration frequently issues notices on antidumping and countervailing duty orders which Broker Power considers to be "minor" in importance as they concern actions that occur after an order is issued and neither announce nor cause any changes to an order's duty rates, scope, affected firms, or effective period.
The International Trade Administration has issued its final results of the antidumping duty administrative review of certain cut-to-length carbon steel plate from Romania for the period of August 1, 2005 through December 14, 2005.
The International Trade Administration has issued its final results of the antidumping duty administrative review of carbon and alloy steel wire rod from Trinidad and Tobago for the period of October 1, 2005 through September 30, 2006.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued an ABI administrative message announcing that a fix has gone into the Automated Commercial System (ACS) to allow the retransmission of rejected debit authorizations which occurred when some preliminary periodic monthly statements were sent out prematurely. CBP states that the fix was completed on November 13, 2007 and debit authorizations can now be retransmitted, as needed, for PMS. (See ITT's Online Archives or 11/14/07 news, 07111440 1, for BP summary of ABI message announcing the problem.) (Adm: 07-0256, dated 11/14/07, available at http://www.brokerpower.com/cgi-bin/adminsearch/admmsg.view.pl?article=2007/2007-0256.ADM.)
GENEVA -- New aeronautical, flight-testing and earth exploration allocations were given a preliminary nod Tuesday at the World Radiocommunication Conference, officials said. Questions about mobile satellite frequencies, aeronautical mobile and unmanned aerial systems are teed up for the next WRC, in 2011.