Sealy closes New York plant amid labor talks

Mattress maker Sealy said on Sunday it would temporarily close a Green Island, New York, manufacturing plant on Oct. 22 because of labor negotiations with the UNITE HERE Union Local 1714T.

The plant closing will affect 350 workers and Sealy will shift manufacturing operations to other facilities, the company said

"We expect minimal disruption in our supply chain. We are working hard to end the impasse with the union as quickly as possible," said Mike Hofmann, Sealy's executive vice president, operations North America.

Additional details were not immediately available.

Critical Letter to Limbaugh fetches $2 Million

After Rush Limbaugh referred to Iraq war veterans critical of the war as “phony soldiers,” he received a letter of complaint signed by 41 Democratic senators. He decided to auction the letter, which he described as “this glittering jewel of colossal ignorance,” for charity, and he pledged to match the price, dollar for dollar.

On Thursday night, Mr. Limbaugh, the conservative radio talk show host, said he thought the letter would bring in as much as $1 million. He was wrong.

When the eBay auction closed yesterday afternoon, the winning bid was $2.1 million. It is the largest amount ever paid for an item sold on eBay to benefit a charity.

The money will go to the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation Inc., a nonprofit organization in New Jersey that provides scholarships and other assistance to families of marines and federal law enforcement officials who die or are wounded in the line of duty. Mr. Limbaugh is a director of the organization, which had total revenues of $5.2 million last year.

“It’s unbelievable,” said James K. Kallstrom, the retired head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation office in New York, who is chairman of the foundation.

Government Accuses 6 Men of $55Million Offshore Fraud

Federal prosecutors charged six men yesterday, including a New York corporate lawyer, three former executives and two Israeli investors, with making $55 million in fraudulent profits via private stock sales.

In Federal District Court in Brooklyn, prosecutors said that Edward and Steven Newman, Martin E. Weisberg, Andrew Brown, Zev Saltsman and Menachem Eitan ran a four-year scheme that revolved around Xybernaut and Ramp, two companies now in bankruptcy.

The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil lawsuit against them yesterday as well.

Delta goes all out in hugely competitive market

Delta Air Lines has declared what promises to be an expensive and very uncivil war in the Big Apple.

The Atlanta-based carrier, which emerged from bankruptcy last spring, has decided to bet a huge chunk of its future on one of the most hotly contested markets in the world — a landscape dominated by well-heeled fliers, aging terminals, crowded airspace and fierce rivals who aren't shy about calling you out by name.
The Delta Air Lines Business Elite check-in area at JFK International Airport, where the carrier has made numerous improvements to upgrade service.


This is a battleground for us," Delta President Ed Bastian said during a recent interview as he made his way through the frenetic lunch crowds in Midtown Manhattan.

Just a few blocks away, Delta competitor Continental Airlines had hoisted huge billboards near the intersection of Seventh Avenue and West 49th Street. One read: "Who flies to the most destinations in France? (Hint: It ain't Delta.)"