Union head lobbies for pilots’ contract with American Air

DALLAS >> The head of the pilots’ union is making an emotional pitch to approve a tentative contract with American Airlines, saying rejecting the deal would set pilots on “a path of self-destruction.”

Allied Pilots Association president Keith Wilson said the contract would eventually boost pay to industry standards. Wilson said some opponents of the contract are intent on punishing airline management and not helping American emerge successfully from bankruptcy. The message underscored the deep divisions within the union and hostility that many pilots harbor toward management of American. In August pilots rejected another offer from American by a 61-to-39-percent margin. American responded by cutting pay and benefits, which was followed by a surge in delayed and canceled flights that American blamed on an illegal work slowdown by pilots.

Small Business Awards deadline extended

The U.S. Small Business Administration has extended the deadline for nominations for the Small Business Awards in the Hawaii District until Dec. 10.

Since 1963, these awards, presented during National Small Business Week, have recognized the outstanding achievements of America’s small businesses for their contributions to their local communities, and to the national economy. In 2013, the 50th year celebration will again honor the nation’s 27 million small businesses.

The 2013 SBA Small Business Award categories for the Hawaii District Office include Small Business Person of the Year, Entrepreneurial Success Award, Family-Owned Business of the Year, Small Business Exporter, Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Minority Small Business Champion Advocacy Award, Women in Business Champion Advocacy Award, Veteran Small Business Champion Advocacy Award, Financial Services Champion Advocacy Award, and Home-Based Business Champion Advocacy Award.

The specific criteria for each of the award categories are outlined on the Hawaii forms available through the SBA District Office or the website of Hawaii Small Business Development Center, www.hisbdc.org.

The winner of the State of Hawaii Small Business Person of the Year Award will be invited to Washington, D.C., to compete for national titles and to attend National Small Business Week events in 2013.

Call 541-2990 for more information.

Fewer seek jobless aid as storm skews data

WASHINGTON » The number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell sharply last week to a seasonally adjusted 410,000, though the figure was elevated for the second straight week by Superstorm Sandy.

The Labor Department said applications dropped by 41,000 from the previous week, when the storm drove applications to their highest level in 18 months. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, rose by 9,500 to 396,250.

Sandy could distort the data for another week, department officials say. The storm caused nearly 44,000 people in New York and 31,000 in New Jersey to seek benefits two weeks ago, according to the latest state data available.

Autonomy avoids layoffs in Massachusetts

Hewlett-Packard Co. said the accounting troubles found this week at the British software maker it owns, Autonomy Corp., will not result in layoffs at the subsidiary’s Massachusetts offices.

HP executives on Tuesday blamed Autonomy’s former executives with orchestrating an accounting fraud that inflated revenues and profitability before the computer giant’s October 2011 purchase of the firm for $11.1 billion. As a result of the irregularities, the Palo Alto, Calif., based HP took an $8.8 billion write-down and recorded a $6.9 billion loss in its most recent quarter.

Still, an HP spokesman said, those losses will not have any direct impact on Autonomy’s business operations in Massachusetts or elsewhere.

"We remain 100 percent committed to Autonomy and its industry-leading technology," said Michael Thacker. "We believe Autonomy’s many innovations and dedicated employees will play a major role in the growth of HP’s software business."

Reckitt to buy vitamin company Schiff

Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC said it will buy vitamin and nutrition supplement maker Schiff Nutrition International Inc. for $1.4 billion, topping an earlier bid by Bayer AG.

The British consumer goods company said the deal will build on its health care business in the U.S., where it already sells brands such as Mucinex, Delsym and Durex. Schiff products include Tiger’s Milk nutrition bars and Airborne immune system health supplements.

Reckitt first made the $42-per-share offer earlier this month only weeks after Bayer offered $34 dollars per share for the Salt Lake City-based company. The German drugmaker later said it did not want to engage in a bidding war for the company.

GM to buy Ally’s international finance units

General Motors Co. agreed to buy the rest of Ally Financial Inc.’s international auto-finance businesses in a deal with proceeds of $4.2 billion as the carmaker seeks to spur a rebound in South America.

The sale includes operations in Europe and Latin America as well as Ally’s 40 percent stake in an auto-lending joint venture in China. The China business wasn’t among non-U.S. assets that Ally said in May it was seeking to divest.

GM, which counts the U.S. government as its biggest shareholder, is seeking a turnaround for its South American results after a $122 million operating loss last year.

On the Move

Three new employees have joined the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor:

>> Shauna Tonkin was named director of education. She researches and develops the curricula, teaching procedures and education programs of the museum.  She previously served as the executive director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Va.

>> William “Burl” Burlingame was named curator. He acquires, develops displays for and inter- prets the museum’s wide collection of artifacts. Burlingame, an author and military historian, spent 33 years as a journalist at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and Honolulu Star-Bulletin. He also served as collections director for the Pacific Aerospace Museum.

>> James Koivunen was named marketing coordinator. He is in charge of marketing, advertising and public relations for the museum. He previously was a communications and promotions manager at Social Impact Studios, a creative cause marketing firm in Philadelphia.