Articles by Hilary Russ

Starbucks Seeks to Pause Union Elections at U.S. Cafes, Claims Misconduct

Starbucks on Monday accused the federal labor board overseeing union elections at its U.S. cafes of misconduct and asked for elections to be suspended nationwide pending the outcome of an investigation. The coffee chain said in a letter to National …

McDonald’s Settles With Ex-CEO Easterbrook Over Claim He Lied About Sexual Affairs

McDonald’s Corp. said on Thursday it had reached a settlement with former chief Steve Easterbrook, resolving a lawsuit in which the burger chain had claimed that he covered up and lied about his sexual relationships with employees. As part of …

McDonald’s Plans Safety Checks of All Restaurants as COVID Cases Surge

McDonald’s Corp. will inspect all its U.S. restaurants to ensure compliance with safety standards as coronavirus cases surge again and “COVID fatigue” sets in, according to an internal note seen by Reuters on Friday. “It is apparent we are entering …

McDonald’s Employees’ Suit Claims Store Redesign Abets Workplace Violence

McDonald’s Corp. employees on Thursday sued the fast food giant and several of its franchisees in Chicago over a store redesign that staffers say has made it easier for angry customers to leap over the counter and attack them. The …

Local Officials from Across U.S. Pressure McDonald’s on Workplace Harassment Policies

Scores of local government officials from 31 U.S. states pressured McDonald’s Corp.’s on Thursday to do a better job of protecting workers from groping, obscene comments and other forms of sexual harassment, adding their voices to an employee-led campaign that …

Walmart Has Mandatory Active Shooter Training for Employees

Days before Saturday’s mass shooting that killed 20 people at a Walmart Inc. store in El Paso, Texas, another shooting erupted at a Walmart in Southaven, Mississippi. In that case, Walmart’s mandatory “active shooter” program may have helped save lives. …

Pennsylvania Sues Over Troubled Harrisburg Incinerator Bond Deals

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s administration on Monday sued an array of financial, legal and other professional firms over their involvement in a 15-year-old incinerator upgrade project that nearly bankrupted the state capital, Harrisburg. The state sued RBC Capital Markets, Buchanan …

Hartford Approves Deal for Connecticut to Pay City’s Debt

Hartford, Connecticut’s fiscally distressed capital city, will get a much-needed lifeline after its city council on Monday approved a deal to have the state pay its debt. The accord, part of a broader oversight plan that state lawmakers agreed to …

City of Hartford’s Rating Sinks Deeper Into Junk; Agencies Cite Possible Default

Hartford, Connecticut’s cash-strapped capital city, suffered a fresh round of credit rating downgrades deeper into junk territory by two Wall Street credit agencies on Tuesday, a day after the city’s bond insurers said they were open to debt restructuring. The …

Connecticut Offers Incentives in Bid to Keep Aetna

The state of Connecticut, once known as the insurance capital of the world, has been trying to woo health insurer Aetna with incentives to stay in the state, Governor Dannel Malloy said on Wednesday. His remarks came in response to …