THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 16, 1997 TAG: 9701160456
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: 50 lines
Dockworkers in the United States, Japan, Italy, New Zealand and Australia have pledged to disrupt shipping Jan. 20 in a global work stoppage. The effort is to show support for former employees of England's Port of Liverpool, who have been fighting for a year to get their jobs back. The most serious stoppage is expected in U.S. West Coast ports, where many longshoremen are unhappy with a new contract. Port officials in Hampton Roads do not expect disruption here. Local officials of the International Longshoremen's Association could not be reached for comment. (Staff and wire report) GTE offers flat-rate plan for long-distance calls
GTE Corp. introduced a flat-rate long-distance calling plan that lets consumers call anywhere in the United States for 14 cents a minute. GTE will compete with flat-rate plans offered by AT&T Corp., MCI Communications Corp. and Sprint Corp., the top three U.S. long-distance companies. Those carriers offer flat rates as low as 14.5 cents a minute for calling on weekdays, although they have plans offering weeknight and weekend rates as low as 10 cents a minute. GTE said it wants to meet consumers' growing demand for simplicity. (Bloomberg Business News) Hershey Foods plans to increase plant size
Hershey Foods plans to add 200,000 square feet of space to its plant in Augusta County, a $75 million project that will create 85 jobs, Gov. George F. Allen said. The plant, expected to open in October, will adjoin Hershey's existing facility. It will add four new production lines, and make candies including Hershey's chocolate bars and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Allen approved a $200,000 grant to secure the expansion. He said the chief competition for the location of the plant came from Pennsylvania. (Associated Press) Mexico completes repayment of U.S. loan
President Clinton announced Wednesday the final repayment of a $13.5 billion loan to Mexico. Mexican authorities said the success of the country's economic reform program had allowed it to make the final repayment of $3.5 billion three years ahead of schedule. The total U.S. support was part of a $50 billion international rescue package the administration assembled in early 1995 after a bungled devaluation of the peso threatened to send Mexico into default. Mexico also repaid a $17.8 billion International Monetary Fund loan. (AP)