BUSINESS BRIEFS
Ford will bring small cargo van to U.S. market
Advertiser news services
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DEARBORN, Mich. — Taking a page from its European division, Ford Motor Co. is bringing its small commercial van, Transit Connect, to the U.S. market.
The boxy cargo vans will be the first of Ford's European vehicles to cross the Atlantic, available in showrooms this summer, and Ford will show the car this week at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show.
The vans are aimed at small-business owners looking for a vehicle they can customize and maneuver easily through congested city streets.
A similar vehicle has been available in Europe since 2003, with Ford selling about 110,000 of them in 2007, said Rob Stevens, chief engineer for commercial vehicles at Ford.
TALKS WITH UNION STALL AT AT&T
NEW YORK — Contract negotiations between AT&T Inc. and union workers stalled yesterday following an extension of the contract through midnight.
The contract was originally set to expire at midnight Saturday, but was extended for 24 hours.
According to a statement on AT&T's Web site, the Communications Workers of America left the bargaining table in Richmond, Va., yesterday.
The company says it remains available for discussions through the extension.
The contract under negotiation would cover 20,000 sales and customer-service workers at the Dallas-based phone giant. AT&T has 160,000 union workers and a total of 300,000 employees.
NISSAN TO CUT 20,000 WORKERS
TOKYO — Nissan sank into a loss for the fiscal third quarter and forecast its first full-year loss in nearly a decade today, forcing Japan's third-biggest automaker to slash 20,000 jobs, or 8.5 percent of its global workforce.
"The global auto industry is in turmoil, and Nissan is no exception," CEO Carlos Ghosn told reporters in Tokyo.
Nissan Motor Co. now expects a $2.9 billion net loss for the fiscal year through March — the first time in nine years it's tumbling into an annual loss.
