Business news in brief

By The Associated Press

Mechanic says he was fired after complaining about Boeing plane repairs

SEATTLE | A mechanic for a Boeing subcontractor claims he was fired after complaining about poor repair work on planes in a Boeing factory near Seattle. Boeing says the man’s concerns did not raise safety issues.

Lawyers for the mechanic said Wednesday that the man saw “substandard manufacturing and maintenance processes” during work on several Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The work included drilling holes to attach fasteners and use of sealant on a part that is designed to keep planes pressurized.

The mechanic, Richard Cuevas, worked for a firm that was hired by Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems to repair Boeing planes and was fired in March after raising concerns with both Spirit and Boeing, according to his lawyers.

Amazon crosses $2T in stock market value for the first time

NEW YORK | Amazon has joined the exclusive $2 trillion club after Wall Street investors pushed the value of the e-commerce giant’s stock past that threshold. Shares in Amazon.com Inc. finished Wednesday up almost 4%, giving the Seattle-based company a stock market valuation of $2.01 trillion. The stock has gained 52% in the past 12 months.

It joins Google’s parent Alphabet, software behemoth Microsoft, iPhone maker Apple and chip maker Nvidia among companies with valuations of at least $2 trillion. Nvidia’s chips are used to power many AI application and its valuation has soared as a result. Amazon has also been making big investments in AI as global interest has grown in the technology, helping fuel its stock’s surge.

California floats an idea to fight shoplifting

SACRAMENTO, Calif. | Millions of American shoppers are contending with common drugstore items like toothpaste being locked behind Plexiglass these days. If you’re one of them, California may have a solution. Business leaders, law enforcement and Republican politicians are backing a ballot initiative that could once again allow judges to imprison repeat shoplifters. California voters are set to decide on the idea in November.

Many politicians think the so-called tough-on-crime measure could even affect who controls Congress. They say voters are fed up with retail theft and that if House Democrat candidates don’t back a crack down, they could find themselves out of their jobs. Top state Democrats worry the proposal would hurt low-income people and those with substance abuse problems.

—From AP reports