National Association Of Manufacturers

The Justice Department told manufacturers Friday that they can share information on resolving year 2000 computer issues without running afoul of antitrust laws. The National Assn. of Manufacturers had sought approval of a plan to let its 14,000 member companies and their computer services suppliers exchange data on fixing the computer date problem. The Justice Department approved a similar plan for the financial services industry last month.

Bush administration lawyers urged the Supreme Court on Monday to repeal a nearly 100-year-old rule that bars manufacturers from fixing the retail prices of their products. In a case involving a California company, the government argued that the price-fixing rule was too rigid and made it harder for companies to market their products with special displays in retail stores. But several justices said a repeal would hurt consumers and lead to higher prices.

A leading manufacturing trade group Wednesday projected that the malaise that has gripped the nation's factories for more than a year probably will continue well into 2002. In its annual economic forecast, the National Assn. of Manufacturers predicts the nation's manufacturing sector, which has been contracting since October 2000, won't see meaningful recovery until the second half of 2002-nearly two years after the slump began.

A leading manufacturing trade group Wednesday projected that the malaise that has gripped the nation's factories for more than a year probably will continue well into 2002. In its annual economic forecast, the National Assn. of Manufacturers predicts the nation's manufacturing sector, which has been contracting since October 2000, won't see meaningful recovery until the second half of 2002-nearly two years after the slump began.

Manufacturers Group Opposes Auto Makers: The National Assn. of Manufacturers, taking issue with three of its largest members, said it opposes any attempt to ease the U.S. trade deficit by cutting Japanese auto imports. "Trade between the United States and Japan means a lot more than cars," NAM Chairman Dexter Baker said, disagreeing with criticism from the Big Three U.S. auto makers that President Bush's trade mission last week didn't do enough to cut the deficit.

The National Assn. of Manufacturers, a key business group whose support the White House has courted actively, Wednesday urged President Clinton to "dramatically" scale back his proposed health care program by offering fewer basic benefits initially and adding other benefits as the nation can afford them. The White House expressed disappointment at the reaction of the influential organization.

Slowing foreign markets and fears that price deflation will narrow profit margins are dampening manufacturers' optimism about the U.S. economy, according to a survey conducted in February by the National Assn. of Manufacturers. Forty-four percent of respondents to the survey said a slowing economy will force them to drop prices for their final products in 1999; 28% predicted a drop last year.

Disagreeing with economic predictions of rising trade deficits and a declining economy, U.S. manufacturers expect to at least hold their own in sales abroad next year and see little chance of a recession before 1991, the National Assn. of Manufacturers said Tuesday. "The conventional wisdom, which seems to change every month, says trade improvement has stalled," said NAM President Jerry J. Jasinowski. "But we see a $15-billion improvement in net exports next year."

Three of the nation's largest business groups Wednesday threw their support behind a Bush Administration proposal to improve monitoring of foreign investments and impose tough criminal penalties for wrongful disclosure or fraud. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Assn. of Manufacturers and the Assn. for International Investment said they supported the bill, introduced by Reps. Norman Lent (R-N.Y.) and Sen. James Exon (D-Neb.).

Bush administration lawyers urged the Supreme Court on Monday to repeal a nearly 100-year-old rule that bars manufacturers from fixing the retail prices of their products. In a case involving a California company, the government argued that the price-fixing rule was too rigid and made it harder for companies to market their products with special displays in retail stores. But several justices said a repeal would hurt consumers and lead to higher prices.

Slowing foreign markets and fears that price deflation will narrow profit margins are dampening manufacturers' optimism about the U.S. economy, according to a survey conducted in February by the National Assn. of Manufacturers. Forty-four percent of respondents to the survey said a slowing economy will force them to drop prices for their final products in 1999; 28% predicted a drop last year.

The Justice Department told manufacturers Friday that they can share information on resolving year 2000 computer issues without running afoul of antitrust laws. The National Assn. of Manufacturers had sought approval of a plan to let its 14,000 member companies and their computer services suppliers exchange data on fixing the computer date problem. The Justice Department approved a similar plan for the financial services industry last month.

The National Assn. of Manufacturers, a key business group whose support the White House has courted actively, Wednesday urged President Clinton to "dramatically" scale back his proposed health care program by offering fewer basic benefits initially and adding other benefits as the nation can afford them. The White House expressed disappointment at the reaction of the influential organization.

Manufacturers Group Opposes Auto Makers: The National Assn. of Manufacturers, taking issue with three of its largest members, said it opposes any attempt to ease the U.S. trade deficit by cutting Japanese auto imports. "Trade between the United States and Japan means a lot more than cars," NAM Chairman Dexter Baker said, disagreeing with criticism from the Big Three U.S. auto makers that President Bush's trade mission last week didn't do enough to cut the deficit.

Three of the nation's largest business groups Wednesday threw their support behind a Bush Administration proposal to improve monitoring of foreign investments and impose tough criminal penalties for wrongful disclosure or fraud. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Assn. of Manufacturers and the Assn. for International Investment said they supported the bill, introduced by Reps. Norman Lent (R-N.Y.) and Sen. James Exon (D-Neb.).

Disagreeing with economic predictions of rising trade deficits and a declining economy, U.S. manufacturers expect to at least hold their own in sales abroad next year and see little chance of a recession before 1991, the National Assn. of Manufacturers said Tuesday. "The conventional wisdom, which seems to change every month, says trade improvement has stalled," said NAM President Jerry J. Jasinowski. "But we see a $15-billion improvement in net exports next year."

WASHINGTON -- Some major U.S. corporations that support climate science in their public relations materials actively work to derail regulations and laws addressing global warming through lobbying, campaign donations and support of various advocacy groups, according to a new report by the Union of Concerned Scientists, an environmental and scientific integrity group. The multinational oil giant, ConocoPhillips, for instance, said on its website in 2011 that it “recognizes” that human activity is leading to climate change, the view supported by the overwhelming majority of scientific research.

California's jobless rate eased to 9.7% during December, down from 10.1% a month earlier, but the recession-battered state has suffered a loss of more than 200,000 jobs during the past year, the Labor Department reported Friday. "The picture still is fairly bleak," said Jay D. Horowitz, labor market analyst for the state Employment Development Department. "We're continuing with what we have seen over the past year." Nationally, unemployment remained stuck at 7.