Presentations for officials

Presentations for officials

YOUNGSTOWN

The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber will host two invitation-only, site-selection presentations for elected officials, city managers and township administrators.

Government officials will learn about the site-selection process in a presentation by Sarah Boyarko, vice president of economic development. The presentation will include what companies look for when considering locating in the Mahoning Valley, and what local officials can do to make their communities more attractive. This is part of the chamber’s ongoing series of public forums to help community leaders understand and assist in the Valley’s economic growth.

Protecting overtime

WASHINGTON

According to a press release from the office of U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Cleveland, the senator joined a group of 25 other senators in calling on the White House to strengthen overtime protections for workers.

In a letter to President Barack Obama, the senators urged the administration to increase the overtime threshold to include workers earning $1,090 per week. The letter also argued for indexing the overtime threshold to inflation.

Complaint filed against UPMC

PITTSBURGH

The National Labor Relations Board again has accused the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center of engaging in anti-union tactics.

The complaint was announced Thursday by the Service Employees International Union, which has been trying for years to unionize some 3,500 nonclinical employees.

In November, an administrative law judge found UPMC engaged in unfair labor practices and ordered the health network to halt certain practices, including denying non-employee organizers access to its cafeteria, conducting surveillance on employees and organizers, and barring workers from wearing union insignia in nonpatient care areas.

UPMC appealed that finding.

The new complaint contains similar allegations, but none more recent than June 2014.

UPMC says the union “has yet again resorted to manufactured unfair labor practices charges in an attempt to discredit UPMC,” which claims the employees don’t want to unionize.

Strong earnings, job news lift stocks

After a shaky start, U.S. stocks rebounded Thursday, snapping a two-day losing streak.

Investors welcomed better-than-expected quarterly results from several companies, including Ford, Coach and Harley-Davidson. Homebuilder stocks surged.

Even energy stocks, which were down most of the day, recovered in concert with a slight uptick in oil prices. Benchmark U.S. crude oil rose 8 cents to close at $44.53 a barrel.

New government data showing that applications for unemployment benefits fell to the lowest level in almost 15 years added a dash of favorable economic news.

Vindicator staff/wire reports

Selected local stocks

STOCK, DIVIDENDCLOSECHANGE

Aqua America, .61, 28.05 .31

Avalon Holdings,2.95.00

Clear Channel, .46 19.08 .03

Cortland Bancorp, 15.60—.10

Farmers Nat., .127.68 .02

First Energy, 1.44, 41.37.63

Fifth/Third, .5217.46.24

FirstMerit Corp., .64,16.54 —.02

First Niles Financial, .32,9.15.00

FNB Corp., .48,12.23.20

General Motors, 1.2033.17.33

General Electric, .88,24.06.21

Huntington Bank, .20, 10.06.28

JP Morgan Chase, 1.60,55.64.89

Key Corp, .26,13.18.24

LaFarge, 17.19 .32

Macy’s, 1.25, 65.30.41

Parker Hannifin, 1.92, 118.511.44

PNC, 1.92,85.521.86

RTI Intl. Metals,22.07.31

Simon Prop. Grp.,5.20,204.511.00

Stoneridge 13.14 .24

Talmer Bank, 13.65.07

United Comm. Fin., .04 5.46.25

Selected prices at 4 p.m. Thursday. Provided by Stifel. Not to be construed as an offer or recommendation to buy or sell any security.