July 25, 2001
Page A6
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Albertsons plans to close about 165 stores nationwide, but there's no word on the fate of its Portland area stores.
Albertson’s Closes 165 Stores
(A P ) — S u p e rm a rk e t g ia n t
A lb ertso n ’s w ill close about 165
stores in 25 states and elim inate up
to 20 percent o f m anagerial and
adm inistrative jo b s above the store
level, the com pany announced last
w eek. The cuts are aim ed at reduc­
ing operating costs as the n atio n ’s
second-largest food and drug re­
tailer continues to struggle w ith its
1999 a c q u isitio n o f A m erican
than 2,500 in 36 states. Difficulty in­
tegrating the operations led to the
April hiring o f Johnston, a former
General Electric Co. seniorexecutive
with a reputation for consolidating
businesses.
A lbertson’s said it would offer
voluntary separation to longtime ad­
ministrative and managerial person­
nel with a severance package that
includes job placement services.
Stores, its new chairm an and ch ief
executive said.
"T he m ajor actions announced
today are ju st the first in a series o f
long-overdue steps that are neces­
sary to begin unleashing the vast
potential o f this company,” Larry
Johnston said in a statement.
The American Stores acquisition
more than doubled the number o f
A lbertson’s-owned outlets to more
It was not immediately clear how
many jobs would be eliminated, or
what stores are being closed.
(AP) — Too m any callers to
AT&T
B ro a d b a n d
in
V ancouver have spent too much
tim e on hold, and now it’s going
to c o st th e c a b le co m pany
$65,000.
AT&T will not appeal the
decision by the C ity-C ounty
C able Television Com m ission.,
said Deborah Luppold, the cable
com pany’s regional vice presi­
dent.
“The com m ission has been
very patient with the com pany
as w e ’ve m ade progress in this
period o f transition,” she said.
“ W e believe it’s in the best in­
terest o f the com pany to put this
behind us and m ove forw ard.”
M ost o f the m oney will go to
AT& T custom ers, who will get
$ 1 o ff their bill w ithin the next
60 days. The city o f V ancouver
and C lark C ounty w ill split
$10,000 to pay for s ta ff tim e
d ealin g w ith A T & T ’s upset
cu sto m ers.
A T & T a c q u ir e d C la rk
C ounty’s cable franchise when
it bought TCI in 1999. Its
agreem ent w ith the com m is­
sion requires that it answ er 90
p e rc e n t o f c u s to m e r c a lls
w ithin 30 seconds. But last
y e a r, c u s to m e rs w e re f re ­
quently spending 20 m inutes
or lo n g e ro n hold.
In D ecem ber, the com m is­
sion determ ined that AT& T
was not com plying w ith the
franchise agreem ent, but de­
layed a fine to see if service
w ould im prove. It did for most
o f this year, but com m ission
D irector D onna M ason said
service has been “ abysm al” in
the last week after AT&T laid
o ff 100 workers at its Beaverton
call center.
Spot checks by comm ission
staff found waits o f 30 minutes,
and one woman spent two hours
on hold, M ason said. If perfor­
mance doesn’t improve imme­
diately, AT&T will face more
penalties, she said.
Richland Boat Rentals & Guide Service
Some of the boat we have at this time:
Habitat Housing Draws Corporate Support
15’ Tri-Hull holds 5 avr size adults Cost $60.00 Per Day
14’ Starcraft holds 4 avr adults Cost $50.00 Per Day
14’ Gregor holds 3 avr adults $50.00 Per Day
PORTLAND HABITAT FOI
•n Partnership with
n » t e r s i ^ r SC>nWOy
O'®9on Roofers Supply
-IDA Archrtects
PDC
W w pecl
Ivy Hi b ij
Attach Signs
-
iS®
Richland Boat Rentals docks at Hewitt Park in Richland Or. and
serves the Powder River Arm of Brownlee Res. We are offering
guided trips for crappie, bluegill, catfish and perch.
Feel free to give us a call for up to date fishing conditions or for
a guided trip or boat rental. For more information call 1-541-
893-6014.
Will return all calls.
P hoto by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
Construction volunteers Mlffy Weller-Jones (from left) Stefanle Keldsen
and Emily Chamberlin of Nike, Inc. are all smiles after completing work
on a new Habitat for Humanity home in the Rosemont- Villa St. Rose
development on North Dekum. Nike generously donated $60,000 and
part of its labor pool of 1,300 employees to help build the house.
Be creative.
Safeway Boycotts
Pictsweet Mushrooms
(A P ) — F or the second tim e
in a m o n th , a m ajor grocery
chain has sa id it w ill bo y co tt
P ictsw eet m ushroom s in su p ­
p ort o f union a c tiv ists.
S a f e w a y I n c . s a id la s t
w eek th at it w ill no longer
carry P ic tsw e e t m ushroom s at
its O re g o n a n d s o u th w e s t
W ashington stores.
C o m p an y sp o k esw o m an
B ridget F lan ag an w ould not
ela b o rate on the c o m p a n y ’s
re a so n s.
U n io n o r g a n i z e r s w ith
N o rth w e st T re e p la n te rs and
F a r m w o rk e r s U n ite d h a v e
been p re ssin g for b e tte r w o rk ­
ing co n d itio n s at the Pictsw eet
farm s for sev eral m onths.
F red M ey er In c., a n o th e r
m ajo r g ro ce ry chain, said July
3 it w o u ld b o y co tt P ictsw eet
m u sh ro o m s at its stores. Fred
M eyer, w hich ac co u n te d for
15 percen t o f the Salem farm ’s
b u sin e ss, jo in e d the b o y co tt
a f t e r S a le m M a y o r M ik e
4
A ir conditioning isn’t the
only way to keep cool.
Sw aim p leaded the u n io n ’s
case.
“T his is an o th er m ajor step
forw ard,” said Erik Nicholson,
a union o rg an izer who says
the action w ill increase p re s­
sure on P ictsw eet.
Safew ay has 113 stores in
its P ortland d iv isio n , w hile
F red M eyer has m ore than
120 sto res in five W estern
sta te s.
P ictsw eet to ld em ployees
last m onth that Fred M e y er’s
boycott w as the prim ary cause
for planned layoffs o f about
50 o f its 300 to 400 em p lo y ­
ees. A notice issued to em ­
p lo y ees stated th at jo b cuts
w ould begin soon, but no work­
ers had lost their jobs.
Nicholson said workers back­
ing PCUN knew going in that
the boycott could mean layoffs.
O fficials at A lbertson’s Inc.
have so far rebuffed the union’s
requests to pull Pictsweet m ush­
rooms.
I
A little creative problem solving can go a long way to keep everyone,
including household pets, comfortable this summer while holding energy
costs down. A few strategically located fans can take a serious load off your
air conditioning system. Dinner off the outdoor grill (or from the microwave)
will use less power and save you again by not heating up the kitchen.
Conserving energy during this crunch can save you dollars and help
us be resourceful with everyone's supply. Here are some tips for you to
consider. Give it some thought - you might have a few tricks of your own.
■ Keep doors, windows and
window coverings closed
during the hottest part of the
day. Open windows to let in the
cool morning and evening air.
■ Use portable fans to stay cool
instead of large air conditioning
systems when outdoor
tem perature is below 90°F.
■ If you will be away from home
for more than a few days,
unplug TVs, VCRs and
computers as they draw power
even when not in use.
■ Use microwaves or outdoor
grills instead of ovens.
■ Use a programmable
thermostat and set to 78°F
or higher as comfort and
health allow.
■ Wait 'til late to use electricity.
Avoid using your dishw asher
and w asher/dryer during
sum m er peak hours of 2 p.m.
to 8 p.m. Run only full loads.
■ Make saving energy a habit.
Do the bright thing.
C a ll us a t I - 8 0 0 - 2 2 2 - 4 1 3 5 ,
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