US Airways Pilots Request Mediation of Stalled Contract Negotiations

(BUSINESS WIRE)--The US Airline Pilots Association (USAPA), representing the pilots of US Airways, applied today (November 13) to the National Mediation Board (NMB) to request mediation of the currently single contract negotiations for all US Airways pilots. US Airways pilots work under two separate contracts, covering the pre-merger US Airways and former America West pilot groups.

The US Airways pilots entered contract negotiations with management in November 2005 under the terms of a Transition Agreement at the time of the US Airways and America West merger. In April, USAPA requested an NMB facilitator to assist the parties in reaching an agreement, but that proposal was rejected by US Airways.

“Our pilots have been laboring under substandard bankruptcy and ATSB-era contracts for years prior to the start of these negotiations, which have gone nowhere,” said Captain Mike Cleary, president of USAPA. “After four fruitless years, we have determined that the current negotiations are hopelessly stalled. As we predicted in April, US Airways’ rejection of an NMB facilitator amounted to nothing more than a delay tactic, and we questioned then management’s sincerity in desiring to reach any agreement. Sure enough, seven months down the road, the US Airways pilots are hardly a step closer to an industry-standard contract.”

“Industry-standard pilot wages and working conditions will allow our company to compete on equal ground with other airlines,” President Cleary continued. “US Airways pilots have tired of the rhetoric and welcome the opportunity to negotiate under the auspices of NMB Mediation and the Railway Labor Act, where impasse allows us to persuade our company to do the right thing.”

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., the US Airline Pilots Association (USAPA) represents more than 5,000 US Airways pilots in seven domiciles across the United States.

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Community One Associates Wins Management of Spire

Expands Intown Presence with Iconic High Rise Condo Tower

Community One Associates announced that it was awarded the management and front desk concierge services at Spire, one of Atlanta’s signature high rise condominiums located in the heart of Midtown at 860 Peachtree Street. Community One assumed management of the Residential and Master Condominium Associations from Novare Management, a subsidiary of Novare, which developed the 29-story mixed-use tower.

In addition to Spire, the full service management company has expanded dramatically into Atlanta’s intown submarkets by adding other condominium developments which include Ansley Above the Park, MidCity Lofts, Colony Park, Carrington Park, Heritage and others.

“Managing this enormous asset is a trust we take very seriously,” said Steve Weibel, Chief Executive Officer of Community One Associates. “Spire is an iconic property that deserves the highest level of service, care and attention that we can possibly give it. We bring to it a national platform, buying power and best practices of the nation’s leading management company.”

Community One is recognized by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of the top five full service management companies, responsible for both residential and commercial property owners associations, high rise condominiums, mixed use/retail developments, active adult and master planned neighborhoods.

It is the Georgia Partner of FirstService Residential (www.firstservice.com), the largest manager of residential communities in North America responsible for over 1 million units in 3,700 communities throughout the United States.

For more information, visit www.communityoneassociates.com or call (404) 308-3188.
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Corzine to Replace Lewis at Bank of America?

Should Jon Corzine Take Over Bank Of America? - Dealbreaker ...
DealBreaker is an online business tabloid and Wall Street gossip site that provides free financial news headlines and ... Banking Culture. Business Media. Private Equity ... Bank of America Chief ...dealbreaker.com/2009/11/should-jon-corzine-take-over-b.php - 83k -

Mr. Corzine goes to Charlotte?
New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine has not even vacated his office in Trenton yet, and the chatter about his next gig is reaching new levels on the blogosphere. Dealscape suggested on Wednesday he's likely to return to Wall Street but stopped short of suggesting specific firms -- other than not Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE:GS) where he was CEO. However, other bloggers were not so restrained. One of the more popular rumors started at Dealbreaker, which eventually spilled over into the mainstream press via The Wall Street Journal's Overheard column, is the idea of Corzine taking the helm of Bank of America Corp. (NYSE:BAC) from outgoing CEO Ken Lewis. http://www.thedeal.com/dealscape/2009/11/mr_corzine_goes_to_charlotte.php

Should jon corzine take over bank america dealbreaker " BANK ...
Should jon corzine take over bank america dealbreaker, BANK OF AMERICA, credit card news. ... Should Jon Corzine Take Over Bank Of America? - DEALBREAKER ...bankcreditcardguide.com/bank-of-america/...

Bank Of America CEO Kenneth Lewis To Retire
Bank Of America Announces Retirement Of Ken Lewis Announces As CEO And Director - Quick Facts. Bank Of America To Sell Columbia Management's Long-Term Asset Management ...realtimetraders.com/Content/...&Category=Top+Stories

More Stimulus Equals More Unemployment

"Stimulus" is in the process of turning a nasty recession into a genuine depression. The evidence is in the "Employment Situation" report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on November 6th. The "headline" unemployment rate shot up to 10.2%, the highest in more than 26 years. But the report was much worse than most people realize.

The "household survey data" showed that 589,000 jobs vanished during October. This is bad enough, but the three-month moving average of changes in total employment (current month and prior two months) shows that job losses are actually accelerating.

Click to read the rest of the article on Real Clear Markets

U.S. Foodservice-Atlanta Begins Fueling Fleet With Biodiesel

/PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Foodservice-Atlanta has become the first major foodservice distributor in Georgia to run its entire delivery fleet on biodiesel fuel.

All of the Atlanta division's 185 tractors and 210 trailers began using biodiesel fuel last week following its first 7,500-gallon delivery of B5, a blend of diesel containing 5 percent biodiesel, a form of diesel fuel made from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant greases. Biodiesel is a sustainable, renewable alternative to diesel fuel which can dramatically reduce greenhouse gases and other emissions.

"Utilizing biodiesel is a continuation of our ongoing environmental strategy," said John Leake, president of U.S. Foodservice-Atlanta. "Improving our overall impact on the environment - while helping our customers find effective ways to do the same - not only makes good business sense, it's the right thing to do."

The biodiesel fuel costs on average about a penny more per gallon. Its use is expected to reduce the U.S. Foodservice-Atlanta fleet's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by nearly 788,000 pounds - or about 4 percent - annually. That's roughly the equivalent of taking 65 cars off the road or of planting more than 3,150 trees every year.

The biodiesel is locally sourced and refined, a product of S.A. White Oil Co. of Marietta.

U.S. Foodservice-Atlanta is active with and has a leadership role in several local, regional and state efforts to promote and protect the environment including the Georgia DNR Project, Partnership for a Sustainable Georgia and the Atlanta Zero Waste Zone. The division, which serves the entire state of Georgia and operations in parts of the five bordering states of Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina, already has a number of "green" achievements to its credit. These include:

-- Reducing electrical consumption by 18 percent with the use of T8
fluorescent lamps in its warehouse operations.
-- Decreasing waste by 55 percent through recovery and recycling
programs.
-- Saving fuel by decreasing truck idle time below 2 percent.


Atlanta is the third U.S. Foodservice division to use biodiesel in its fleet. It joins divisions in Streator, Ill., and Plymouth, Minn.

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Senate Approves FMLA Coverage For Flight Attendants

/PRNewswire/ -- More than 16 years after the original Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was passed, flight attendants and flight crews across the country, are finally about to be granted access to the same coverage that has long benefited working families. The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) today applauded the U.S. Senate for approving the Airline Flight Crew Family and Medical Leave Act, S. 1422.

"We are happy to announce to our over 50,000 members that no flight attendant will be left behind when it comes to FMLA coverage anymore," said AFA-CWA International President Patricia Friend. "We have worked alongside Senator Patty Murray on this very important legislation and her leadership has been essential in making this bill a bi-partisan effort to correct and clarify current FMLA language that has repeatedly denied many flight attendants from qualifying for coverage for years."

Currently, flight attendants face many hurdles in order to qualify for FMLA benefits. These hurdles are particular to airline employees since FMLA language has been narrowly interpreted and has failed to take into account "the unique way in which the airline industry counts its workers' hours." The current bill clarifies the original 1993 FMLA law and ensures that flight crews are treated fairly and qualify for benefits. The bill was introduced by a bi-partisan coalition that consisted of Senators Murray (D-WA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Jim Webb (D-VA), Sue Collins (R-ME), Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Kit Bond (R-MO). A similar bill was passed by the House on a unanimous voice vote earlier this year.

"We look forward to an expedited process to finalize this very important bill and for President Obama to officially sign it into law this fall. No one can question the benefits FMLA has provided for working women and men, allowing them to take time off from work to care for themselves or family members," added Friend.

The FMLA requires most employers to provide job-protected unpaid leave to employees who have worked 60 percent of a full-time schedule over the course of a year. However, the courts and federal agencies disregarded that original intent and narrowly defined the "full time schedule" as that of a traditional 40 hour work week, thereby excluding flight attendants whose schedules do not fall within the traditional 9-5 work day. The Airline Flight Crew FMLA corrects this misinterpretation of the original legislation and finally extends this vital coverage to flight crews.

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Atlanta Selected as Westec’s National Sales HQ

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Westec Intelligent Surveillance, the nation’s largest remote video monitoring company, announced today that it has selected Atlanta, Georgia as the location for its national sales headquarters. Additionally, Westec announced Charles Moeling as its Executive Vice President of Sales and Chief Marketing Officer.

Given the company’s double-digit growth in sales this year, Westec plans to accelerate the expansion of its sales teams and recently secured new office space in Atlanta at the Concourse Corporate campus in the Central Perimeter area. Mr. Moeling commented, “Atlanta offers us an excellent talent pool as we look to expand our team of sales professionals, and the area provides exceptional infrastructure supporting the growth of a retail and hospitality focused organization.”

Mr. Moeling brings 20 years of strategy, sales, operations and technology experience to the company. His responsibilities include developing Westec’s sales and marketing strategies and leading the company’s go-to-market teams.

Westec recently received national attention and $20 million in growth funding in large part for its unique 2-way audio technology. Westec video monitoring specialists can “talk” and interact with potential threats in thousands of customer locations nationwide in real time, helping to diffuse escalating situations that risk the safety and security of the location. Westec’s proprietary monitoring technology saves retail and restaurant customers millions of dollars annually, and leading clients like McDonald’s, Burger King, Waffle House, La Quinta, EZ Mart and Zales rely upon Westec’s services to ensure the day-to-day safety and performance of their operations.

“Helping our customers save money and run more secure operations, Westec is strategically positioned to perform well in this tough economy as we continue to deploy our unique technology and services to leading companies in the retail and hospitality industries,” said Kelby Hagar, CEO for Westec. “Securing top talent, like Chuck Moeling, plays a key role in our company’s growth strategy, and our investment in Atlanta, and its pool of talent, provides a great platform for Westec’s continued leadership in the security industry.”

Prior to joining Westec, Mr. Moeling served as Vice President of Retail at Radiant Systems where he played a key role in winning strategic customers, including The Athlete’s Foot and Batteries Plus. Before Radiant, Moeling was a founding executive of BlueCube Software where Moeling’s teams added strategic accounts such as Marriott Select Services and doubled the firm’s subscription installations. Moeling holds an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a BE in Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt University’s School of Engineering.

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Nation’s First All-digital Production Facility Locates in Georgia

Meddin Studios opens doors, creates jobs in Savannah

Meddin Studios, LLC, is opening in Savannah with a $5.5 million investment in advanced digital media technology. The new studio, which will be the nation’s first fully digital production facility, will create up to 10 new jobs. Its completely digital workflow will stretch from pre-production to post-production, including distribution and asset management. Capitalizing on Georgia’s 2008 Entertainment Industry Investment Act, which offers up to a 30 percent tax credit for qualified productions, Meddin will foster innovation in digital film and video production and distribution.

“Meddin Studios’ decision to open in Savannah demonstrates that Georgia is leading the way in digital technology,” said Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Ken Stewart. “What’s more, it reflects the strength of the growing film and entertainment industry, a result of Georgia’s strategic investments over 37 years.”

One of Meddin Studios’ unique offerings is asset management: the organization, conversion and preservation of content in a digital format. Aging film and tape formats, deteriorating photos and new digital media formats are the types of assets for which Meddin Studios can develop and implement a preservation plan. At its simplest, this means a visual, searchable catalog of media from years past. Film companies especially require more complex preservation plans, as old tape libraries are converted to a more accessible format.

"Meddin Studios is excited to fill an infrastructure void locally, regionally and nationally for the film, television and media industry. Four sound stages, production equipment rentals such as camera, lighting and grip, full post-production capabilities and digital asset management are just a few of the many offerings Meddin Studios is bringing to the area, said Nick Gant, company president, along with Jon Foster, CEO of Meddin.

The new studio is located in Savannah’s historic Meddin Brothers meat-packing facility, built in 1917. The 22,000-square-foot facility is located on 2.5 acres, three miles from downtown Savannah. At full operating capacity the studio will feature four 2,500-square-foot sound stages, two of which can be combined for a total 5,000 square feet of space; a full post-production facility; a fully-equipped 1,600-square-foot Pro Tools audio suite; and 4,000 square feet dedicated to camera and equipment rental.

“We are very impressed and proud that Nick Gant, Jon Foster and their management team made this happen – it’s no small feat! And we are thrilled they chose Savannah as the location. SEDA worked with The Creative Coast Alliance to support Meddin's start-up by introducing them to as many people and resources as we could – from potential clients to potential investors,” said Lynn Pitts, Sr. Vice President of the Savannah Economic Development Authority. “Savannah is eager to embrace and nurture these types of operations, and Meddin Studios will lead the way.”

Tonya Cooper, project manager for GDEcD, also assisted the company with this project.

The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state's sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a location for film, music and digital entertainment projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development. For more information, visit www.georgia.org
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AirTran Pilots: Outsourcing Bad for Business

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Union leaders for the AirTran pilots issued the following statement in response to their airline’s announcement that AirTran [NYSE: AAI] has reached an agreement with SkyWest to operate five CRJ-200 aircraft—in SkyWest livery—between seven cities. AirTran pilots, who are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), have been in contract negotiations for five years and are seeking guarantees that the company will not farm out work to the lowest bidder.

“The pilots of AirTran are deeply concerned that our management is outsourcing flying, even while the company’s mainline growth has been stagnant for the past two years. While we applaud any moves by the company to increase profitability, we strongly believe that AirTran customers expect and deserve to be flown on AirTran planes with AirTran pilots in the cockpit.

“Outsourcing AirTran flying to a regional carrier runs the risk of diminishing the travel experience in the eyes of our customers, and goes directly against the business model that has made this company a success. AirTran is known for its business class seats, XM Radio and WiFi Internet access, none of which would be provided on a 50-seat Regional Jet (RJ).

“AirTran has been marketing its full-sized aircraft in Milwaukee as a more comfortable alternative to Republic Holdings’ smaller RJs. It would be unfortunate if AirTran were to cede that advantage as it works to gain market share in the Midwest.

“Furthermore, it is unclear how the utilization of RJs in 2010 would be any more successful than it was in 2003, when the company ended AirTran Jet-Connect.

“As partners in the success of this airline, we are asking AirTran management to work with the pilots and other employees in the future to encourage the growth of the company from within—as they’ve done in the past with notable success.”

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Blytheco Named Sage North America Business Partner of the Year for 2009

Blytheco, LLC, a Sage North America business partner specializing in the sales, implementation and consulting professional services for a wide array of Sage Business Solutions (SBS) products, has been named the Sage North America Business Partner of the Year for fiscal year 2009 (October 1, 2008 to September 30, 2009). Blytheco generated top revenues through the sales and service of nearly all SBS products, including Sage ERP (enterprise resource planning), MAS 90, MAS 200, MAS 500, Sage CRM (customer relationship management), Saleslogix, Sage Abra HRMS (human resources management systems), Sage FAS Fixed Asset Accounting and Sage MIP (non-profit solutions).

Blytheco, LLC is pleased to announce that the firm has received the following honors from Sage Software in recognition for achievements for Fiscal Year 2009:

· Business Partner of the Year for Sage North America
· Business Partner of the Year for Sage’s ERP Division
· Business Partner of the Year for the Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 ERP product lines
· Business Partner of the Year for the Sage MAS 500 ERP product line
· Sage Chairman’s Club
· Sage Million Dollar Club
· Sage President’s Circle

“It is only through perseverance and a keen focus on providing our mutual customers superior service and strategic software solutions that Blytheco has earned our 2009 North America Business Partner of the Year Award,” said Jodi Uecker-Rust, President, Sage Business Solutions division. ““It is with great pleasure that we at Sage extend our congratulations to the outstanding team at Blytheco for their achievements in 2009.”

The Sage North America Business Partner of the Year award is given to the top ranking business partner across the entire SBS product portfolio, which features top brands such as Sage Accpac ERP, Sage Timberline, Sage MAS 90 ERP, Sage SalesLogix, Sage Abra HRMS, Sage FAS, and others.

Business Partner of the Year honors are given to top ranking business partners for each of Sage Software’s product lines and solutions groups. Blytheco has been a perennial Sage Partner of the Year and a member since inception of the Sage President’s Circle and Chairman's Club, a level of distinction for exceptional Sage Software business partners.

“It is a pleasure to recognize the Blytheco team again,” said Paul Johnson, Executive Vice President, Sage Business Solutions. “Their commitment to Sage is admirable, but it is their commitment to their clients and staff that makes them so successful year after year. We are glad to have them on our team, and look forward to even greater achievement in 2010.”

The prestigious Chairman’s Club Award Program rewards Sage’s top performers for their diligence in representing Sage Software products and consistently going above and beyond to achieve sales excellence.

“We are gratified to receive these honors once again from Sage in what has been for most a very challenging year,” said Stephen Blythe, CEO of Blytheco, LLC. “These awards are a tribute to the loyalty of our clients, the quality of our staff, and our ongoing commitment to growth, and we look forward to greater expansion and opportunity in the years ahead.”
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