BUSINESS BRIEFS
200 recruiters set for job fair
Advertiser Staff and News Services
A record 200 job recruiters are signed up for Tuesday's Job Quest job fair at the Neal Blaisdell Center, Hawai'i's largest job fair.
The recruiters include 20 who have never come to the job fair before, such as Japan Airlines, TheBus and Longs Drug Stores.
Job Quest will be held Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It costs $3 for general admission and $1 for students, military and seniors. For more information, go to www.successhi.com for more information.
UNION WORKERS SUE HALE KOA
Four representatives of hotel workers union UNITE HERE Local 5 have filed a federal lawsuit alleging the U.S. Army and Hale Koa Hotel management threatened them with physical force and arrest when they distributed leaflets to off-duty hotel union workers on sidewalks outside the hotel July 18. Local 5 represents Hale Koa's housekeeping and food and beverage employees.
The suit argues that the Local 5 representatives' rights to free speech were violated.
Hale Koa officials could not be reached for comment yesterday.
WATER BOTTLER GAINS NEW STATUS
The Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority in Kailua, Kona, has received foreign trade zone status, the state announced yesterday. The designation allows deep seawater bottlers to import plastic used in bottles without paying U.S. customs duties, if those bottles are then exported.
AUTOMAKER CUTS PROFIT FORECAST
BERLIN — DaimlerChrysler AG cut its 2006 operating profit forecast yesterday, saying it now expects a $1.52 billion third-quarter loss at Chrysler — more than twice the amount anticipated.
Shares in the company fell more than 5 percent. The German-American automaker lowered its operating profit forecast for 2006 to approximately 5 billion euros ($6.34 billion), based on an expected full-year loss for the U.S.-based Chrysler Group of $1.27 billion. Chrysler previously had said it expected a third-quarter operating loss of up to $633.75 million.
CHINA'S TARIFFS BRING COMPLAINT
GENEVA — The United States, the European Union and Canada filed complaints yesterday with the World Trade Organization over China's tariffs on the import of foreign auto parts.
The dispute marks the first time the Western allies have teamed up to seek a formal WTO investigation in a trade dispute with China.
The WTO could begin an investigation that could last months and even years before a final judgment on the tariffs, though China may ask that the establishment of the responsible panels be delayed.
