General motors to cut 1,000 workers

General Motors Co. will cut about 1,000 salaried workers globally in a move to streamline its operations, according to people familiar with the matter.

Most of the layoffs will affect staff in North America, said the people, who asked to not be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. The cuts mark the third time this year that General Motors has shrunk its salaried ranks. The automaker trimmed about 1,000 software engineers in August and reduced its China workforce amid ongoing losses in that market.

Under CEO Mary Barra, General Motors has cut jobs on a regular basis to control costs even as the automaker’s earnings have been consistently strong. The cuts have also helped General Motors make room for new workers with skills needed to develop electric vehicles and more advanced software. General Motors employed about 76,000 salaried workers globally as of the end of 2023, according to a regulatory filing.

McDonald’s to spend big to revive sales

McDonald’s Corp. is spending $100 million in an effort to revive sales and support franchisees after a severe E. Coli outbreak spooked diners away.

In a memo sent to employees and franchisees that was seen by Bloomberg News, McDonald’s said Quarter Pounder burgers topped with slivered onions were now back on menus nationwide and that the company was investing $35 million into marketing and ads. Additionally, the company told Bloomberg it is spending $65 million on programs that support franchisees, like deferrals on rent and royalties.

Foot traffic and sales have taken a beating since the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in October that it was investigating an E. Coli outbreak linked to the fresh slivered onions that top McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burgers. In response to the outbreak, which killed one and sickened more than 100 people, the chain pulled Quarter Pounders from 20% of its more than 13,000 U.S. stores.

SCNG Guild approves its first contract

The Southern California News Group Guild ratified its first labor contract Friday, three years after newsroom journalists voted to unionize in 2021.

The contract includes minimum pay rates and certain job protections for 120 Guild members employed by the 11-newspaper group.

The contract for the Southern California News Group Guild, a unit of Media Guild of the West, includes 6% raises over two years for all Guild members.

The contract expires Nov. 15, 2026.

Hotel workers strike at vegas casino

Hundreds of hotel workers at a casino near the Las Vegas Strip went on strike just before dawn Friday after a long and highly publicized fight for a new contract.

The strike at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas marks the first open-ended strike in 22 years for the Culinary Workers Union, the largest labor union in Nevada, with about 60,000 members.

The company’s proposal worked out to an estimated $0.30 per year to wages over five years after deducting money for benefits, Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge said in the news release.

Compiled from staff and Bloomberg reports.