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Reported by Star-Bulletin staff & wire
Friday, December 29, 2000
SEATTLE -- Employees of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, on strike for more than five weeks, prepared to return to work next week after accepting a contract offer. Seattle newspaper workers
vote on new contractsAssociated Press
Workers at The Seattle Times, which has more than 800 employees represented by the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild, were voting on a separate proposal. Results were not expected until late today.
Negotiators for Times employees had recommended rejection of that newspaper's offer. A key issue remained the terms under which employees would return to work, said Ron Judd, a Guild spokesman and Times sports columnist.
Managers and the union have been unable to agree on who will remain employed -- the Times wants preference given to those who crossed picket lines while the union wants preference based on seniority.
The Times has warned of layoffs because millions of dollars were lost during the strike.
Times spokeswoman Kerry Coughlin said last night that earlier reports of 68 workers being permanently replaced were a "complete misunderstanding" and should not have been a factor in the union's vote.
Judd accused the Times of causing confusion on the issues.
Post-Intelligencer employees will return Tuesday. Management has said jobs would be available to all 130 striking employees.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it will open its first store on Maui. Wal-Mart plans Kahului store
The Bentonville, Ark. retailer said the 141,892-square-foot store will be located at Kahului's Maui Business Park and will employ about 300 workers.
The company, which is in the process of purchasing the store site from landowner Alexander & Baldwin Inc., said the new store is scheduled to open next fall.
"Wal-Mart is pleased to be a part of the Maui community and in this central location at the Maui Business Park," said Lee Scott, Wal-Mart's president and chief executive officer.
Wal-Mart, the national's largest retailer with more than 2,600 locations, operates five discount retail outlets in Hawaii as well as a Sam's Club warehouse store in Pearl City.
In other news . . .
NEW YORK -- Priceline.com Inc., the "name-your-own-price" Internet company, said yesterday vice chairman and founder Jay Walker would step down on Sunday to focus on his duties as head of Walker Digital, LLC. Walker's departure follows a series of major setbacks for Norwalk, Conn.-based Priceline.com.