Included in IMPO's top five news stories: A Milwaukee manufacturer's owners give the company to employees and the Obama administration introduces an outline to advance "smart gun" tech.
Take a look at this week's top stories:
Protesters March Against Carrier Moving Work To Mexico: Several hundred people gathered at the Indiana Statehouse on April 29 to protest air conditioning giant Carrier Corp.'s decision to move 1,400 jobs from the state to Mexico to save money. Leaders from the United Steelworkers labor union and the AFL-CIO hosted the rally targeting Carrier's parent company, United Technology, and calling for an end to tax breaks for corporations that move and leave employees out of work. Protesters and labor organization leaders marched several blocks in downtown Indianapolis from the state capital. Indianapolis Democratic state Rep. Karlee Macer, U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders were among elected officials who spoke at the protest. Sanders blasted trade agreements and corporate tax breaks that they say are hurting worker's rights.
Milwaukee Manufacturer's Owners Give Company To Employees: The owners of a Milwaukee-based paper machine manufacturer have delighted their employees by handing them the keys to the 65-year-old company through an employee stock ownership plan. Under the employee stock ownership plan, the eligible Paper Machinery employees will earn shares of the company's stock over time, in addition to their existing retirement benefits. The plan could eventually put hundreds of thousands of dollars into the retirement accounts of some longtime workers.
Obama Administration Outlines Steps To Advance ‘Smart Gun’ Technologies: The Obama administration recently announced a series of measures to help equip guns with advanced technology to prevent unwanted users from firing them. The White House in January issued executive orders designed to curb gun violence, including directing the departments of Defense, Justice and Homeland Security to develop a strategy for firearm safety research and development. Those agencies released their report on so-called "smart guns" last week. The analysis said that much of the desired technology, such as using electronic signals or fingerprints to enable the use of firearms, already exists.
Feds More Than Double Takata Airbag Recall: Federal highway regulators dramatically expanded the number of vehicles subject to the recall of Takata airbag inflators last week. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration previously recalled nearly 29 million inflators, which are blamed for at least 10 deaths in the U.S. The recall, which the NHTSA called "the largest and most complex safety recall in U.S. history," is expected to affect another 35 million to 40 million inflators through 2019.
Jury Awards $55M In Talcum Powder Cancer Suit: Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay $55 million to a woman who claims its talcum powder caused her ovarian cancer, the second such judgment against the manufacturer in three months. Watch the video to learn more.
