The food-stamp economy
On the last day of every month, shoppers at Walmart load their carts with food and household items and wait for the midnight hour. Is this the new normal in America? Full Article
Mexico's Aeromexico avoids strike after pay deal
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Flight attendants at airline Aeromexico agreed on Sunday to a pay and benefits package that avoided a strike at Mexico's largest carrier which could have grounded around 300 aircraft, union sources said.
Union members agreed to a 4.5 percent raise, up from the company's offer of 4.25 percent, and also a $20 million savings plan that will cut benefits like parking and dry cleaning payments and subsidized uniforms.
Union leaders negotiated into the early hours of Sunday morning to cut a deal, beyond the original 12:01 a.m local time (0501 GMT) strike deadline.
Aeromexico, owned by investors headed by Citigroup's local bank Banamex, flies to a dozen cities in the United States and a handful in Europe, Asia and South America. In Mexico, it has more than 20 domestic routes.
The nearly 1,500 flight attendants of Aeromexico, which was privatized last year, originally demanded a 5 percent wage increase. At the outset of contract talks, the company wanted to make cost cuts of around $25 million.
(Reporting by Miguel Angel Gutierrez; Writing by Chris Aspin; Editing by Eric Beech)
