A suburban-area fabricator is facing more than $1 million in federal penalties for dozens of violations tied to the failure to protect workers from silica dust. 300 OSHA The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced Monday that it took action against Florenza Marble & Granite Corp. in Buffalo Grove, Ill. An OSHA inspection of Florenza this past February found…
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) union, which represents 45,000 workers at major container ports, and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) are currently in negotiations as the union’s contract expires September 30. In a report from Reuters, the groups have not yet reached an agreement on “pay, terminal automation, healthcare coverage and retirement benefits.” Last week, the ILA delegates unanimously agreed to a…
The housing market, dogged in recent years by high prices and interest rates, is expected to get good news on the rate front soon. The Federal Reserve is widely expected to lower interest rates at its next meeting on September 17 and September 18. The federal funds rate currently stands at a 5.25% to 5.50% range, and there are expectations that the…
After a modest downturn, homeowner expenditures for improvements and repairs are expected to trend up through the first half of 2025, according to the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) released today by the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. The LIRA projects that declines in annual spending for renovations and maintenance to owner-occupied homes…
