GM in Europe

GM in Europe

DETROIT

General Motors is making progress in restructuring its money-losing European operations and having constructive talks with German labor unions, CEO Dan Akerson told shareholders Tuesday.

GM’s European unit has been losing money for the past 12 years, and like other automakers, faces grim prospects as much of the region slips toward a recession. The company has been trying to restructure the Opel and Vauxhall brands, which have too many factories and workers for the number of vehicles they sell.

Akerson ranked Europe at the top of GM’s problems but said the company has reached restructuring deals with labor unions in Poland and England and that talks are going well in with powerful German unions. The company is discussing factory capacity cuts across Europe, Akerson said.

Big Verizon change

NEW YORK

Verizon Wireless, the nation’s largest cellphone company, is phasing out nearly all of its existing phone plans and replacing them with pricing schemes that encourage customers to connect their nonphone devices, such as tablets and PCs, to the Verizon network.

The revamped plans let families and other subscribers share a monthly data allowance over as many as 10 devices — the biggest overhaul in the price of wireless service since the cellphone became a mainstream device. The idea is likely to be copied quickly, at least by AT&T Inc., which already has said it is considering introducing shared-data plans soon.

From wire reports