Sonari Glinton http://kgou.org en U.S. Automakers Are On A Roll, But Hiring Is Slow And Steady http://kgou.org/post/us-automakers-are-roll-hiring-slow-and-steady There is one basic question that keeps being asked about the U.S. auto industry: Is it on the rebound?<p>"People ask a lot, is the auto industry back?" says Kristin Dziczek, a director at the Center for Automotive Research. "And it depends on what scale you want to look at."<p>So if we're looking at scales, let's start with productivity. In this case, how many work hours it takes to build a car. Productivity in U.S. plants is 39 percent higher than it was in 2000. Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:21:00 +0000 Sonari Glinton 8104 at http://kgou.org U.S. Automakers Are On A Roll, But Hiring Is Slow And Steady Garment Industry Follows Threads Of Immigration Overhaul http://kgou.org/post/garment-industry-follows-threads-immigration-overhaul In Los Angeles, the business of fashion is big. The apparel business employs as many as 45,000 workers in L.A. County, many of them immigrants.<p>Consequently, the garment industry is worried about the outcome of the immigration debate and watching closely to see what happens.<p><strong>'You Don't Have Another Choice'</strong><p>One of the heavyweights is American Apparel, which makes more than 40 million articles of clothing each year out of its factory near downtown L.A.<p>The clothing industry is notorious for employing illegal workers. Mon, 27 May 2013 12:01:00 +0000 Sonari Glinton 6709 at http://kgou.org Garment Industry Follows Threads Of Immigration Overhaul L.A. Blue Jeans Makers Fear Their Business Will Fade Away http://kgou.org/post/la-blue-jeans-makers-fear-their-business-will-fade-away Los Angeles is the world leader in the most American of clothing items: bluejeans. High-end, hand-stitched, designer bluejeans that will you run well over $100 a pair.<p>But as the U.S. Fri, 24 May 2013 21:26:00 +0000 Sonari Glinton 6604 at http://kgou.org L.A. Blue Jeans Makers Fear Their Business Will Fade Away More Jobs, But Wait: They May Not Pay Much http://kgou.org/post/more-jobs-wait-they-may-not-pay-much Transcript <p>SCOTT SIMON, HOST: <p>This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. The economy added 165,000 jobs in April. That exceeded the expectations of economists. It also drove down the unemployment rate to a four-year low, 7.5 percent. Unfortunately, the biggest gains were in lower-paying fields like hospitality and temp agencies. And as the school year comes to a close and young people start looking, the question is will there be enough work for them. NPR's Sonari Glinton reports.<p>SONARI GLINTON, BYLINE: Wall Street got pretty excited about the jobs numbers. Sat, 04 May 2013 09:51:00 +0000 Sonari Glinton 5202 at http://kgou.org J.C. Penney Wins Legal Fight Over Martha Stewart http://kgou.org/post/jc-penney-wins-legal-fight-over-martha-stewart Transcript <p>RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: <p>Proof of Martha Stewart's ongoing commercial appeal has been on display in a New York courtroom. Yesterday, an appeals court decided that department store J.C. Penney can continue selling a new line of housewares designed by Stewart. But the ruling keeps Macy's from having the exclusive rights to the brand.<p>NPR's Sonari Glinton reports.<p>SONARI GLINTON, BYLINE: There is one reason why both J.C. Wed, 01 May 2013 10:01:00 +0000 Sonari Glinton 4965 at http://kgou.org Shoppers Should Avoid Sandy Damaged Vehicles http://kgou.org/post/shoppers-should-avoid-sandy-damaged-vehicles Transcript <p>RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: <p>The Atlantic Coast of the U.S. took an economic hit six months ago from Hurricane Sandy. Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:56:00 +0000 Sonari Glinton 4795 at http://kgou.org House Panel Investigates Government Loan To Fisker Automotive http://kgou.org/post/house-panel-investigates-government-loan-fisker-automotive Transcript <p>RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: <p>Auto executives got a grilling on Capitol Hill yesterday. Not the usual suspects from Detroit's Big Three. Think much, much smaller. Executives from the hybrid carmaker Fisker testified about hundreds of millions of dollars in loans Fisker got from the government. Today, the company is on the verge of collapse.<p>NPR's Sonari Glinton reports.<p>SONARI GLINTON, BYLINE: Fisker, the car company, isn't dead yet. But Congress has already begun the autopsy.<p>REPRESENTATIVE JIM JORDAN: Today's hearing is about getting to the bottom of the U.S. Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:16:00 +0000 Sonari Glinton 4558 at http://kgou.org Google, Microsoft Look Past Desktop Computers To Increase Earnings http://kgou.org/post/google-microsoft-look-past-desktop-computers-increase-earnings Transcript <p>DAVID GREENE, HOST: <p>NPR's business news starts with the tale of two companies.<p>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: <p>Google and Microsoft quarterly earnings reports are in and it appears their slugfest continues with Google's earnings up 23 percent and Microsoft up 18 percent. That is even as sales of desktop computers decline.<p>GREENE: As NPR's Sonari Glinton reports, the future for both companies is on the small screen.<p>SONARI GLINTON, BYLINE: Here's a reality. Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:42:00 +0000 Sonari Glinton 4191 at http://kgou.org Ford Claims Top Spot In Global Sales Race http://kgou.org/post/ford-claims-top-spot-global-sales-race The Focus is the best-selling "nameplate" worldwide, followed by the Toyota Corolla, new data shows. Ford's sales have jumped in recent years as it dropped unsuccessful models and adopted a single global manufacturing system. Wed, 10 Apr 2013 08:42:00 +0000 Sonari Glinton 3579 at http://kgou.org Auto Industry Stalls In Japan http://kgou.org/post/auto-industry-stalls-japan Toyota, Honda and other Japanese automakers are doing just fine in the U.S. Sales have rebounded, buoyed by a weaker yen and the usual lineup of reliable cars. In the home market of Japan, however, the car makers are struggling. Wed, 03 Apr 2013 10:45:00 +0000 Sonari Glinton 3118 at http://kgou.org