Truck group backs Walmart on appeal
Walmart Inc.'s request that a federal appeals court reconsider its decision to uphold a $54.6 million jury award to California truck drivers has the support of the nation's largest trucking industry trade group, according to recent court filings.
The Bentonville-based retailer asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a petition filed Jan. 21 for a rehearing on its Jan. 6 ruling that upheld the award from a lower court. A class of Walmart truck drivers claims the company violated California employment law by not paying them for required layovers.
The American Trucking Associations, along with the California Trucking Association and two for-hire carriers, jointly filed an amicus brief Feb. 3 supporting Walmart's request. The brief focuses on one of the three issues Walmart raised, stating the lower court interpreted employers' standard of "control" over drivers during nondriving times in a way that conflicts with federal hours-of-service regulations.
Walmart did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment on the filings.
The case is Charles Ridgeway, et al v. Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
-- Serenah McKay
LR hosts conference of tourism experts
The Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau is hosting more than than 300 tourism professionals from 13 states and the District of Columbia as part of the Southeast Tourism Society's annual conference, which runs through Wednesday.
The conference at the Marriott Hotel attracts travel and tourism experts for three days of networking, education and advocacy programs that the bureau said showcases the best in the travel and tourism industry, according to a news release.
Among the sessions, workshops and research presentations was a general session on Monday led by Alan Dranow, senior director of Walmart Heritage Group in Bentonville: "Walmart Foundation Presentation -- The Art of Change."
Gov. Asa Hutchinson will be recognized at a luncheon today about his efforts to conserve the Buffalo National River, an event that will be moderated by Stacy Hurst, the director of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
-- Noel Oman
State index up 5.67 to end day at 446.54
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, closed Monday at 446.54, up 5.67.
"The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq closed at record highs on Monday as tech stocks rallied and Chinese workers and factories slowly returned to business following a Lunar New Year holiday that was protracted by the deadly coronavirus outbreak," said Chris Harkins, managing director at Raymond James & Associates in Little Rock.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.
Business on 02/11/2020