Business Briefs – September 6, 2018

Intent on Getting a big Raise? You May Have to Quit Your Job

WASHINGTON (AP) – Despite one of the best job markets in decades, workers across the U.S. economy are struggling with a common frustration: What does it take to finally get a decent raise? It turns out you might have to quit your job. Americans who leave their employers to take a new job are enjoying pay raises that are one-third larger than raises for workers who stay put — a gap that has reached the widest point since the Great Recession.

Expert Panel Calls for Sweeping Election Security Measures

BOSTON (AP) – An expert panel of the National Academy of Sciences is calling for fundamental reforms to ensure the integrity of U.S. elections, including secure new voting machines and routine audits aimed at spotting problems before election results are certified. The report reflects a consensus of election-security researchers, but many of these ideas have already run into opposition from some states and Republican leaders in Congress.

China Says Retaliation Ready If U.S. Tariffs Go Ahead

BEIJING (AP) – China’s government says it is ready to retaliate if U.S. President Donald Trump goes ahead with plans for another tariff hike on Chinese goods. The Commerce Ministry expressed confidence it can maintain “steady and healthy” economic growth despite their spiraling trade battle. The Trump administration is poised to announce penalties as early as this week on a $200 billion list of Chinese goods in an escalation of the U.S.-Chinese dispute over Beijing’s technology policy.

Major Hotels Giving Panic Buttons to Staff Nationwide

NEW YORK (AP) – Tens of thousands of U.S. hotel employees will soon carry panic buttons to help protect them from harassment and assault. More than a dozen big hotel chains — including Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG and Wyndham — said Tuesday that they will provide personal safety devices by 2020 to all employees who deal one-on-one with guests.

Ford Recalls 2M Pickup Trucks; Seat Belts Can Cause Fires

DETROIT (AP) – Under pressure from U.S. safety regulators, Ford is recalling about 2 million F-150 pickup trucks in North America because the seat belts can spark and cause fires. The recall, which covers trucks from the 2015 through 2018 model years, comes about one month after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating fires in the pickups, which are the top-selling vehicles in the United States.