Business news in brief

By The Associated Press

Stellantis makes buyout offers to U.S. white-collar workers

DETROIT | Jeep and Ram maker Stellantis says it will offer buyout packages to many of its U.S. white-collar workers just five days after the company’s CEO said the auto industry is in the middle of a significant storm.

The company told salaried workers that eligible employees will get individual offers in mid-August. The offers will be limited to certain job functions that Stellantis not identify. It also wouldn’t say by how much it wants to cut the salaried workforce. The company has about 11,000 salaried workers in the U.S.

It wasn’t clear whether similar offers would be made in other countries.

Lawsuit: Norfolk Southern’s freight trains cause chronic delays for Amtrak

Norfolk Southern railroad has been causing chronic delays for Amtrak between New York and New Orleans by forcing the passenger trains to wait while its massive freight trains pass, the federal government said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday.

The Justice Department took the rare step of filing a lawsuit because it says Norfolk Southern is consistently violating the federal law that requires Amtrak’s trains to get priority when they cross a freight railroad’s tracks. Amtrak relies on tracks owned by one of the six major freight railroads across most of the country.

“Americans should not experience travel delays because rail carriers break the law,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said.

Court holds up Biden administration rule on airline fees

NEW ORLEANS | Consumer advocates are criticizing an appeals court decision that blocks a new U.S. Transportation Department rule requiring airlines to more clearly disclose fees when they advertise prices for a flight.

A three-judge panel on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans said Monday the rule “likely exceeds” the agency’s authority “and will irreparably harm airlines.”

The judges found the rule to be too detailed in its restrictions. They granted a request by airlines to temporarily block the rule while a lawsuit filed by the carriers plays out.

The Biden administration published the rule, alongside another dealing with airline refunds, in April as part of a campaign against what it calls junk fees. The Transportation Department said the rule would save consumers more than $500 million a year.

—From AP reports