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Janet Reuther-Schopp doesn’t like to remember what happened to Reuther Automotive Group three years ago this week.
Her family’s 53-relationship with the Chrysler and Jeep brands came to an abrupt end during Chrysler’s government-orchestrated bankruptcy. Thinking about it still makes Reuther-Schopp sad and angry, so she’d rather talk about the positive things that have happened since May 14, 2009.
The former new-car dealership in Creve Coeur has remade itself as a used car sales and service business. Reuther has found new sources for financing and parts and has built relationships with nearby employers, which authorize it to pick up employees’ vehicles for service. It also has relied on longtime niche businesses like snowplow maintenance.
The business has 19 employees, down from 100 in the new-car days. “We’re getting by, which is better than some of the dealers in our situation,” Reuther-Schopp says. “I just get up each morning and say, ‘Today is a new day; let’s see where this one goes.’”
Not that she and three business-partner siblings are ready to let go of the past. Their father, Leo Reuther Sr., began selling Jeeps when they were used more as farm trucks than as commuter vehicles, and his children are fighting to be compensated for the loss of that legacy.
Reuther Automotive is one of 140 former Chrysler dealers pursuing a lawsuit against the federal government. They’re relying on the Fifth Amendment, which says private property can’t be taken for public use without just compensation.
Leonard Bellavia, a Mineola, N.Y., attorney who represents the dealers, says his clients lost more than $500 million.
“The government controlled the Chrysler bankruptcy, in that they made the bailout contingent on filing for bankruptcy and terminating 25 percent of the dealers,” Bellavia said. “The government was using Chrysler as its agent to facilitate the governmental taking of private property.”
Many such “takings” suits are thrown out quickly, but a judge has already rejected the government’s attempt to dismiss this one. It’s now in the discovery phase, and Bellavia says he believes that emails and other documents from the federal automotive task force will bolster his case.
He intends to subpoena task force officials, including former chairman Steven Rattner, as he seeks justice for Reuther and the other dealers.
The government’s dealership strategy was “arrogant and uncaring,” Bellavia says. “I don’t want to give you a Fourth of July speech here, but it goes against the idea of working hard and building something that you can hand down to your family.”
Family ties certainly mattered to the Reuthers, but relatives were among those who had to leave the dealership payroll.
“Having a family-run business and having to allow your children to go out and find other jobs, that’s not what we had worked all these years for,” Reuther-Schopp said.
If the Reuthers once felt privileged, with a business they expected to pass on to the next generation, they now feel like struggling entrepreneurs. The inventory of 30 or so used cars looks sparse on a five-acre lot that once held 300 vehicles.
Reuther-Schopp says the family has had offers for the land, and might sell for the right price. The current business might be more profitable on a smaller site, she said.
Usually, though, she doesn’t allow herself to think that far ahead, just as she tries not to dwell on the injustices of three years ago. “You have to keep your thoughts in the here and now,” she said.
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Search teams found at least 10 bodies Friday near where a Russian-made jetliner crashed into the side of an Indonesian volcano while on a demonstration flight for potential buyers from airlines, an official said.
All 45 aboard the Sukhoi Superjet-100 are feared dead.
The search team used ropes to climb up to the wreckage on the near-vertical slopes of Mount Salak, search and rescue agency spokesman Gagah Prakoso said. The 10 bodies they found are being prepared to be transported from the crash site by helicopter.
Local television showed what appeared to be the plane’s tail with the blue-and-white Sukhoi logo, part of a wing and bits of twisted metal scattered along the slope like confetti.
The jetliner slammed into the dormant volcano Wednesday at nearly 800 kph (480 mph). Russian and French investigators have arrived to join the ongoing investigation into the cause.
The Superjet-100 is Russia’s first new model of passenger jet since the fall of the Soviet Union two decades ago and was intended to help resurrect its aerospace industry business cards.
The ill-fated Superjet was carrying representatives from local airlines and journalists on what was supposed to be a 50-minute demonstration flight. Just 21 minutes after takeoff from a Jakarta airfield, the Russian pilot and co-pilot asked for permission to drop from 10,000 feet to 6,000 feet (3,000 meters to 1,800 meters). They gave no explanation, disappearing from the radar immediately afterward.
It was not clear why the crew asked to shift course, especially since they were so close to the 7,000-foot (2,200-meter) volcano, or whether they got an OK, officials have said.
Communication tapes will be reviewed as part of the investigation, but it’s unlikely they will be released to the public any time soon.
Apple is the world’s most valuable company. The Dow Jones industrial average is probably the world’s best-known stock index. So don’t they deserve each other?
If Apple had been added to the Dow in June 2009, the last time there were serious rumors that it would happen, the average would be about 2,500 points higher than it is today. It would also be well above its all-time high.
That’s the calculation of Paul Hickey of Bespoke Investment Group, which crunches numbers about the markets guaranteed online personal loans. He says the Dow would be at 15,360, about 1,200 points above its record.
Dow Jones Indexes, which maintains the average, says its purpose is to reflect the broad economy _ not pick the hottest stocks.
You’re not normally one to let your personal life interfere with work, but when you’re ducking out of the office a few times a week to take Dad to dialysis or your kid to physical therapy, it’s tough to get everything done to your usual standard.
Perhaps you need a break from juggling. Thanks to the federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), you may be entitled to up to 12 weeks of unpaid time off per year to tend to certain family-care needs. More workers took advantage of this right in the past year, a recent Towers Watson survey found.
"As the economy picked up, people felt more comfortable asking for time away to deal with personal matters," explains Tom Billet, a senior consultant at the firm. Should you find yourself needing a respite to focus on family, take these steps to ease the transition.
Know your rights
To qualify for FMLA leave, you must have worked for a company with 50 or more employees for at least a year and put in 1,250 hours in that time. FMLA applies if you, a parent, child, or spouse develops a serious illness, sustains a major injury, or requires ongoing medical treatment.
Other eligible circumstances: births, adoptions, and the deployment or recuperation of a military family member. The law guarantees that your position will be restored when you return. Health coverage continues while you’re away, but you probably won’t accrue vacation or retirement benefits.
More men choosing kids over career
See if you afford it
Before putting in for leave, be sure you can manage without the income. Don’t have several months’ expenses banked in an emergency fund? Use paid vacation first.
For your own ailments, exhaust sick days; also inquire about short-term disability. Should your relative only require intermittent care, take the leave, but work a few days on, a few days off to keep cash coming in.
Get buy-in from the boss
You can’t be fired for taking FMLA leave, but the way you manage this process can affect the way your employers view you — and your promotability. So be proactive.
Start by explaining the situation to your boss (you’ll be required to provide proof). Specify how much time off you’ll need, and ask what you can do to lessen workflow disruption.
"Problems arise when people take leaves in dribs and drabs," says Las Vegas employment lawyer Mary Chapman. "It’s harder for HR to keep track, and co-workers inherit a larger workload."
Best to make the leave as predictable as possible. For example, schedule appointments for Junior’s physical needs at the same time each week. Also, open up to co-workers about what you’re dealing with, advises Christopher Metzler, a human resources professor at Georgetown. Otherwise, your empty chair may raise eyebrows — and questions about whether you’re slacking.
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Final results from France’s presidential election show Francois Hollande narrowly defeated incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy with 51.62 percent of the vote.
Interior Ministry figures released Monday morning show the outgoing Sarkozy garnered 48.38 percent of the vote, giving Hollande a winning margin of 1.13 million votes.
Voter turnout was 80.34 percent, about the same as in the first round of voting April 22.
Hollande is pledging to buck Europe’s austerity trend and NATO’s timetable for Afghanistan no teletrack payday loan.
His allies are now jockeying for government jobs. Sarkozy’s conservative party is turning its sights to upcoming parliamentary elections to try to hold onto its majority despite a wave of support for the left.
Swiss central bank President Thomas Jordan said policy makers are ready to take further measures if needed to weaken the franc as its strength poses
Anheuser-Busch continues to roll out new barrels in this spring full of new product launches.
Next up? Bud Light Lime-A-Rita, the brewery’s take on that classic cocktail. It “blends the flavor of an authentic margarita with a refreshing splash of Bud Light Lime,” says A-B, and at 8 percent alcohol by volume, it’s got a little kick to it.
Like Michelob Ultra Light Cider, Lime-A-Rita’s another bid by A-B to capture the sweeter palates of today’s younger, more spirits-oriented drinkers Payday Loan for Bad Credit. Like Bud Light Platinum, it’s also leveraging the name of a strong existing brand.
It’ll hit stores this week. In 8 oz. and 24 oz. cans and 12 ounce bottles. If you’re curious, A-B recommends it straight from the can, or over ice.
The Citizens Utility Board is pushing for a cut in Ameren Illiniois’ rates to exclude $42.8 million in spending, including hundreds of thousands of dollars for branding, corporate sponsorships, lobbying and athletic events.
Ameren Illinois in March filed a proposal with the Illinois Commerce Commission that would initially reduce electric rates across its service territory by $19.5 million.
But in testimony filed with the ICC, the Chicago-based consumer group said the reduction in electric delivery rate should go further.
“Ameren’s proposal doesn’t even come close to giving its customers the upfront decrease they deserve,” CUB Executive Director David Kolata said.
The rate proposal filed earlier this year is part of Ameren’s 10-year plan to spend $625 million to improve the power grid and install so-called smart meters.
The grid modernization plan was authorized in a bill approved by the legislature last year. The sweeping measure also established a formula for setting future electric rates in Illinois.
The ICC is expected to adjust Ameren’s rates in October.
Employers in the U.S. added fewer jobs than forecast in March, underscoring Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke