Business

Disney To Furlough 43K, Free Health Benefits For Year

The Orlando Sentinel reports: About 43,000 unionized Disney World workers will be furloughed starting April 19, the largest wave of employees in Central Florida to be sent home without pay because of the coronavirus crisis. The Service Trades Council Union, a coalition of six locals, announced the news Saturday on Facebook Live. The coalition said Disney had agreed to provide …

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Nation’s Largest Theater Chain In Bankruptcy Talks

The New York Post reports: AMC Entertainment is inching closer to a possible bankruptcy. The nation’s largest movie theater chain, whose cinema houses have been shuttered nationwide since mid-March because of the coronavirus, is in talks to hire law firm Weil Gotshal & Manges to explore a potential Chapter 11 filing, The Post has learned. Weil Gotshal’s team is headed …

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Tons Of Frozen Meals Recalled: May Contain Rocks

Food Safety News reports: Conagra Brands has recalled certain Healthy Choice chicken products because of complaints from consumers about rocks in the products. The company reports distributing the products nationwide, as well as exporting them to Canada, according to a recall notice posted by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). “FSIS is concerned that some product may be …

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Mnuchin: Trump Could Reopen Country In May [VIDEO]

Business Insider reports: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday that the US economy could reopen in May if President Donald Trump decides the public health crisis is under control. When CNBC’s Jim Cramer asked Mnuchin if “we could be open for business in the month of May,” the secretary responded, “I do.” “As soon as the president feels comfortable with …

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Wall Street Firm Pitched 175% Return On Govt Program

Reuters reports: A New York investment firm pitched wealthy investors in recent days on a way to make returns of 22% to 175% using U.S. government programs designed to help Americans keep their jobs and boost the coronavirus-stricken economy, according to a marketing document seen by Reuters. Following questions posed by Reuters, Arcadia Investment Partners LLC, which has about $1 …

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Walgreens Offers Drive-Thru 5-Minute Test In 7 States

Via press release from Walgreens: Furthering its commitment to provide greater access to COVID-19 testing and community resources, Walgreens is working to expand drive-thru testing to 15 new sites in seven states, the company announced today. The states included are Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Tennessee and Texas. The expansion is a next step building on Walgreens’ collaboration with the …

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Virginia Distilleries Allowed To Ship Directly To Homes

The Virginian Pilot reports: The liquor laws in Virginia just keep loosening their belts. As of Monday, any of 45 Virginia distilleries can now FedEx or UPS their liquor directly to customers — at least for the duration of the coronavirus state of emergency. The news came came via an announcement on the ABC’s website and Twitter account Monday morning. …

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United Cuts Flights Into Newark And LaGuardia By 90%

NewJersey.com reports: United Airlines has made a temporary, but significant, change to the number of flights out of Newark and LaGuardia airports as a way to limit the number of employees needed at the two locations during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. Starting Sunday, United will go from having 139 daily flights out of Newark to 15 and will cut the …

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Walmart Limits Customers: Five Per 1000 Square Feet

Reuters reports: Walmart said on Friday it would limit the number of customers in a store at a time, starting April 4, to encourage social distancing among its customers. It said it will now allow no more than five customers per 1,000 square feet at a given time and that they would be admitted one by one and counted by …

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Disney To Begin Furloughing Workers On April 19th

The Associated Press reports: Saying they don’t know when they’ll be able to re-open many of their businesses with the coronavirus spreading, Walt Disney Co. officials announced they will start furloughing some workers in two weeks at its theme parks resorts in Florida and California. The statement released late Thursday from The Walt Disney Co. said the first wave of …

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Dow Ends Worst First Quarter In Its 135-Year History

The Washington Post reports: Wall Street concluded one of its worst-ever starts to a year on Tuesday with markets staggering under trillions in losses from an economy paralyzed by the coronavirus. The Dow Jones industrial average plunged more 400 points, or roughly 1.9 percent, for the worst first-quarter finish of its 135-year history. The virus has killed thousands across the …

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Macy’s Furloughs Majority Of Workers Nationwide

USA Today reports: Retail giant Macy’s said it will furlough a “majority” of employees as companies continue to navigate how to operate during the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement Monday, Macy’s said “the majority of our colleagues” will go on furlough starting this week. As of its 2019 fourth quarter, Macy’s had 125,000 employees and 775 stores nationwide. Macy’s says …

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Workers At NYC Amazon Facility To Stage Walkout

CNN Business reports: Amazon employees at the company’s Staten Island, New York, facility plan to walk off the job Monday amid allegations the online retail giant has mishandled its response to the coronavirus pandemic. Employees are protesting Amazon’s decision to keep the Staten Island warehouse open despite news of a confirmed case of the virus there last week, said Christian …

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Delta Offers Free Flights To Volunteer Medical Workers

USA Today reports: Delta Air Lines is stepping up in the fight against coronavirus. While the airline slashed flight capacity by 40% earlier this month, they are finding ways to help mobilize medical volunteers amidst the pandemic. Late Friday night, Delta announced on its website that it would be offering free flights to medical volunteers looking to fly to the …

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Disney Extends Closure Of Theme Parks Indefinitely

Orlando’s NBC News reports: Walt Disney World and Disneyland will remain closed until further notice, the company announced Friday afternoon. Disney said in a statement Friday that hourly employees will continue to be paid through April 18. The parks were closed earlier this month through the end of the month due to the coronavirus outbreak. “As a result of this …

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Google Parent To Donate $800M In Coronavirus Relief

Reuters reports: Alphabet Inc will donate more than $800 million in funds towards producing medical supplies used to fight COVID-19, and in ad credits to government and health organizations and businesses, Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai said on Friday. The company is working with Magid Glove and Safety to produce 2 million to 3 million face masks, and will financially …

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Ralph Lauren Pledges $10M, Will Make Masks & Gowns

Via press release from the Ralph Lauren Corporation: In response to COVID-19, the Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation, formerly known as the Polo Ralph Lauren Foundation, is committing $10 million to help our teams, our partners and our communities impacted by the novel coronavirus pandemic. In addition, the Ralph Lauren Corporation is starting the production of 250,000 masks and 25,000 isolation …

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CALIFORNIA: Banks Agree To 90-Day Mortgage Freeze

Courthouse News reports: California Gov. Gavin Newsom delivered a dose of good news for homeowners on Wednesday, announcing the nation’s largest banks will voluntarily freeze mortgage payments for 90 days on families mired in the Covid-19 crisis. Newsom said the agreement is the result of weeks of negotiations with the heads of banks like Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank, JPMorgan Chase …

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Grocers Install Sneeze Guards To Protect Cashiers

USA Today reports: Retailers have reduced store hours to make time for deep cleanings and now are adding a new layer of protection – sneeze guards. Walmart and some of the nation’s largest grocery store chains – Kroger and Albertsons – are installing plexiglass barriers or partitions to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus and protect both shoppers and …

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Waffle House Code Red: 365 Locations Close Over Virus

Mediaite reports: Here’s how you know the coronavirus pandemic is really serious: Waffle House is closed. On Tuesday, the company announced on their Facebook page that they were closing an unprecedented 365 locations nationwide — over three times more than were closed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The other 1,627 locations remain open, for now. The 24-hour restaurant chain …

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