AOL Jobs Articles & News

Track Coach Gets Dismissed After Taking Student To Prom

AP — 2012-05-22T09:16:00+00:00

PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) -- The daughter-in-law of Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman has been dismissed as a volunteer track coach at a small Eastern Oregon high school because she escorted a 17-year-old boy to the prom.

Melissa Bowerman, 41, who had been coaching the Condon/Wheeler track and field team with her 73-year-old husband, Jon Bowerman, was ousted this month in a phone call from school officials.

What Happens When Companies Give Workers Unlimited Vacation Time?

AP — 2012-05-21T13:27:00+00:00

As the 15 employees of the SmallBox Web marketing agency gathered for their Christmas party last year, CEO Jeb Banner stood up and read a proclamation.

"We now declare all SmallBox employees to be free," Banner intoned. "Free to come to work when you want for however long you want. Free to take as much vacation time as you need for whatever reason. Free to work and live the way you want to."

U.S. Nuclear Safety Agency Chief, Accused Of Being A Bully, Resigns

AP — 2012-05-21T12:37:00+00:00

By Ray Henry and Matthew Daly

The chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Monday that he is resigning amid accusations by fellow commissioners that he acted like a bully. NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko said in a written statement that it was the right time to step down, adding that he hoped his successor would keep a strong focus on safety.

Jaczko, 41, did not mention the bullying allegations in his statement, but he has been dogged by criticism that his unyielding style had created a chilled working environment at the nuclear commission, which oversees safety at the nation's 104 commercial nuclear reactors. The four other commissioners on the five-member panel had accused Jaczko (pictured above) of intimidation and bullying and said women at the agency felt especially threatened.

HP To Slash 30,000 Jobs As It Faces Competition From Apple, Report Says

AP — 2012-05-18T08:33:00+00:00

SAN FRANCISCO -- Hewlett-Packard is poised to eliminate as many as 30,000 jobs to compensate for dwindling demand for personal computers as more people connect to the Internet on smartphones and tablets, according to reports published Thursday.

The looming cuts cited by Bloomberg News and the technology blog All Things D would trim as much as 9 percent of HP's workforce, based on the 349,600 people employed by the Palo Alto, Calif., company as of last October. A breakdown on HP's website listed 324,600 employees, but company spokesman Michael Thacker said the information was wrong. He pointed to the October figure listed in HP's annual report as the most accurate head count.

Senate Panel Approves Benefits For Same-Sex Partners Of Government Workers

AP — 2012-05-17T09:12:00+00:00

WASHINGTON -- A Senate committee has approved legislation to give benefits to same-sex partners of federal workers.

The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee sent the legislation to the full Senate on Wednesday. The Senate has failed to pass previous versions of the bill.

Jobless Claims Steady, Suggesting Hiring Could Pick Up

AP — 2012-05-17T09:02:00+00:00

By Christopher S. Rugaber

WASHINGTON -- The number of people seeking unemployment benefits was unchanged last week, suggesting steady gains in the job market.

The Labor Department said Thursday that weekly unemployment aid applications stayed at a seasonally adjusted 370,000, the same level as the previous week. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, fell for the second straight week, to 375,000.

N.J. Man Sues Walmart For $1 Million Over Intercom Prank

AP — 2012-05-16T09:25:00+00:00

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) -- Walmart is being sued for $1 million by a man who claims he was traumatized by a racist comment made over an intercom at a southern New Jersey store two years ago.

Female Soldiers To Move Into Combat-Related Roles, Army Says

AP — 2012-05-16T09:08:00+00:00

By Kristin M. Hall

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) -- Female soldiers this week are moving into new jobs in once all-male units as the Army breaks down formal barriers in recognition of what has already happened in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The policy change announced earlier this year is being tested at nine brigades, including one at Fort Campbell, before going Army-wide. It opens thousands of jobs to female soldiers by loosening restrictions meant to keep them away from the battlefield. Experience on the ground in the past decade showed women were fighting and dying alongside male soldiers anyway.

Ex-Teacher Charged With Stealing Ohio Prom Money

AP — 2012-05-15T09:58:00+00:00

HAMILTON, Ohio -- A former high school teacher in southwest Ohio has been charged with stealing money meant for a school prom in a cash-strapped district.

Best Buy CEO Gets $6.6 Million Severance Despite 'Personal Relationship' With Worker

AP — 2012-05-14T16:36:00+00:00

NEW YORK -- Best Buy said Monday its founder Richard Schulze is stepping down as chairman after an investigation found that he knew that the CEO was having a relationship with a female employee and failed to alert the audit committee.

The company also said that despite the fact that its audit committee found that then-CEO Brian Dunn violated company policy by having a "close personal relationship" with a female employee, he gets a severance package worth about $6.6 million.

Catholic School Denies Calling Teacher, Who Had IVF, 'Grave, Immoral Sinner'

AP — 2012-05-14T15:28:00+00:00

By Charles Wilson

INDIANAPOLIS -- An Indiana diocese is denying that it discriminated against a parochial school teacher who claims that she was fired for violating Roman Catholic doctrine by using in vitro fertilization to try to get pregnant.

Ousted Yahoo CEO Thompson Has Cancer, Report Says

AP — 2012-05-14T09:12:00+00:00

NEW YORK -- Yahoo's Scott Thompson, who was pressured to give up his CEO post because his official biography included a college degree he never received, reportedly has thyroid cancer.

The Wall Street Journal, citing people it did not identify, says that Thompson told Yahoo's board and several colleagues of his condition before resigning from his role with the company.

New Jobs Crisis: Unemployed Autistic Adults

AP — 2012-05-14T08:29:00+00:00

By Lindsey Tanner

CHICAGO -- One in 3 young adults with autism have no paid job experience, college or technical schooling nearly seven years after high school graduation, a study finds. That's a poorer showing than those with other disabilities including those who are mentally disabled, the researchers said.

With roughly half a million autistic kids reaching adulthood in the next decade, experts say it's an issue policymakers urgently need to address.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's 28th Birthday Gift: $100 Billion?

AP — 2012-05-14T08:23:00+00:00

By Barbara Ortutay

NEW YORK -- He famously wears a hoodie, jeans and sneakers, and he was born the year Apple introduced the Macintosh. But Mark Zuckerberg is no boy-CEO.

Facebook's chief executive turned 28 on Monday, setting in motion the social network's biggest week ever. The company is expected to start selling stock to the public for the first time and begin trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market on Friday. The IPO could value Facebook at nearly $100 billion, making it worth more than such iconic companies as Disney, Ford and Kraft Foods.

JPMorgan's Top Female Exec To Resign Over $2 Billion Blunder

AP — 2012-05-14T08:12:00+00:00

By Pallavi Gogoi

NEW YORK -- JPMorgan Chase is expected to accept the resignation of one of the highest-ranking women on Wall Street after the bank lost $2 billion in a trading blunder, a person familiar with the matter said Sunday.

The bank will accept the resignation of Ina Drew, its chief investment officer, the person told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss the decision publicly.

Texas Society Reporter, Fired For Stripping, Charges Gender Discrimination

AP — 2012-05-11T08:53:00+00:00

By Juan A. Lozano

HOUSTON -- A former Houston Chronicle reporter announced Thursday that she has filed a federal gender discrimination complaint alleging she was fired because she failed to disclose that she also had worked as an exotic dancer.

Sarah Tressler, 30, alleges that she was fired by the newspaper in March for not indicating on her employment application that she had worked as a stripper.

Yahoo CEO Says He Didn't Provide Fudged Resume

AP — 2012-05-11T08:41:00+00:00

By Michael Liedtke

SAN FRANCISCO -- Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson is assuring his colleagues that he didn't supply the incorrect information that led the troubled Internet company to list a bogus college degree in his official biography, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Thompson told other top Yahoo executives at a Thursday meeting that he never provided Yahoo with a resume or incorrect information about his academic credentials, the source said. The person asked not to be identified because the meeting was considered to be private.

Despite Protests, Bank of America CEO's $7 Million Pay Approved

AP — 2012-05-10T09:00:00+00:00

By Mitch Weiss and Pallavi Gogoi of AP, with AOL Jobs

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Four people were arrested Wednesday as they tried to force their way into the annual Bank of America shareholders' meeting in Charlotte. Police used a new ordinance to declare the gathering an extraordinary event subject to special restrictions.

Despite the unruly protesters outside and (somewhat) more civilized inside, the shareholders did sign off on the $7 million pay package for Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan.

Hundreds of people gathered on the streets as dozens of police officers worked to contain the protest.

Unemployment Claims Continue To Drop

AP — 2012-05-10T08:48:00+00:00

By Paul Wiseman

WASHINGTON -- The number of people applying for U.S. unemployment benefits ticked down last week after dropping sharply the previous week, evidence that hiring could pick up this month.

Weekly applications dropped by 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 367,000 in the week ending May 5, the Labor Department said Thursday. The previous week's figure was revised up slightly.

Employers Hiring Again? Job Openings At Nearly 4-Year High

AP — 2012-05-08T11:26:00+00:00

By Martin Crutsinger

WASHINGTON -- U.S. companies in March posted the highest number of job openings in nearly four years, a sign that hiring could strengthen in the coming months after slowing this spring.

The Labor Department said Tuesday that employers advertised 3.74 million job openings in March. That's up from a revised 3.57 million in February. The March figure was the highest since July 2008, just before the financial crisis erupted that fall.