Comment on Trump sides with dockworkers union on automation issue as contract negotiations loom

The International Longshoremen’s Association has until Jan. 15 to negotiate a new contract with the U. S. Maritime Alliance, which represents ports and shipping companies. President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday voiced his support for the dockworkers union before their contract expires next month at Eastern and Gulf Coast ports, saying that any further “automation” of the ports would harm workers.

Here’s all the branding news we’re following this week. This week in branding news, Lil Jon revisited his iconic song “Get Low,” Erewhon released a predictably overpriced collection of organic apparel, and Hostess refreshed its look for the first time in 18 years. Here’s what you need to know.

Recently, sightings of what appear to be drones flying over New Jersey at night have created anxiety among some residents. Drones for commercial and recreational use have grown rapidly in popularity, despite restrictions on who can operate them and where they can be flown. No-fly zones are enforced around airports, military installations, nuclear plants, certain landmarks including the Statue of Liberty, and sports stadiums during games.

David J. Neal | (TNS) Miami Herald Stanley — whose cups have become almost as popular as the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup — recalled 2.6 million travel mugs because their burn count got too high. As explained in the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall notice, “These mugs’ lid threads can shrink when exposed to heat and torque, causing the lid to detach during use, posing a burn hazard.” According to what Stanley told the CPSC, the lids on recalled travel mugs have detached 16 times in the United States and 91 times worldwide, causing two burn injuries in the United States and 38 worldwide.

If you spend your time thinking about the intersection of the private sector and climate change, here at year end things may not look so good at first glance. For the past year and change, companies have faced an onslaught from conservative activists, leading many businesses to go silent about their climate efforts.

By PATRICK WHITTLE, Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump is likely to bring big changes for one of the oldest sectors of the U. S. economy — seafood — and some in the industry believe the returning president will be more responsive to its needs. Economic analysts paint a more complicated picture, as they fear Trump’s pending trade hostilities with major trading partners Canada and China could make an already pricy kind of protein more expensive to consumers.