By Chris Isidore | CNN Renee Berry has been working at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee since 2010, shortly after it opened, long enough to see the majority of her co-workers twice vote against joining the United Auto Workers union. She thinks the third vote taking place this week will be different. “It’s a totally different ball game,” she said. “The atmosphere is different. You see more pro-union than anti-union [workers]. A whole lot of people who were anti-union in the past have switched.” The union vote at the Volkswagen plant will mean more than whether the 4,300 hourly wor ..read more

By Nadia Lopez | Bloomberg California’s already strained property insurance market is facing a new challenge as two more insurers, Tokio Marine America Insurance Co. and Trans Pacific Insurance Co., plan to withdraw from the wildfire-prone state entirely starting in July. The two companies, units of Japan-based Tokio Marine Holdings Inc., disclosed their plans in filings submitted to the California Department of Insurance. They said the decision will affect 12,556 policies with premiums of $11.3 million. “Given the small segment of personal lines business we write and escalating costs, we cann ..read more

By Sally French | NerdWallet At the airport, long lines for check-in, security screenings and even getting food can feel like a giant waste of time — and potentially disrupt even the most meticulously planned itinerary. But with planning, you can skip some of the most annoying lines, and in some cases, get reimbursed if the line-skipping privilege requires an application fee. Here are five common airport bottlenecks and how to avoid them for free or cheap. 1. Check in It is the year 2024, which means there’s a mobile version of all sorts of travel services. That includes the ability to check i ..read more

Providence and Blue Shield California, currently embroiled in a contractual spat over how much the insurance company covers patient care, have until June 1 to ink a new deal before the old contract expires. The hospital system emailed its 110,000 patients earlier this week, warning that Blue Shield health insurance might flip to out of network with Providence hospitals, clinics and physicians. “We are diligently working with Blue Shield to resolve this negotiation and that you can continue to see your Providence providers with no impact until June 1, 2024,” the email states. Also see: Providen ..read more

Julie Appleby | (TNS) KFF Health News Tax season is never fun. But some tax filers this year face an added complication: Their returns are being rejected because they failed to provide information about Affordable Care Act coverage they didn’t even know they had. While the concern about unscrupulous brokers enrolling unsuspecting people in ACA coverage has simmered for years, complaints have risen in recent months as consumers discover their health insurance coverage isn’t what they thought it was. Now such unauthorized enrollments are also causing tax headaches. Returns are getting ..read more

Uber launched a pilot program Thursday in Chicago and other select cities around the U.S. to verify riders on the app for increased safety for drivers. The new safety feature means riders using Uber will be verified on the app and have a blue checkmark badge added to their profile for drivers to see, according to a news release. Most accounts will be verified automatically using details already on file, so users won’t have to take any additional steps to become verified. For accounts that aren’t immediately verified, the user can upload a picture of a government-issued identification card, suc ..read more

Maria Halkias | (TNS) The Dallas Morning News Walmart, the largest U.S. employer with a workforce of 1.6 million, is slowly building a network of in-store clinics, believing it has a place in America’s health care system. Next week the largest U.S. retailer will open two health clinics in DeSoto and Fort Worth targeting seniors and families with services for comprehensive primary care, behavioral health and dental care. Ten clinics will be open this summer in Dallas, Fort Worth, Garland, Mesquite, North Richland Hills and Plano. Eight more are in the works around Houston. Health care has to be ..read more

It’s playoff season for basketball and hockey with sports fans glued to the big matchups. But that kind of emotion and energy isn’t just limited to athletic contests. For example, there are plenty of big real estate battles brewing across California this spring. Now, the property game rarely has clear winners and losers. And these contests aren’t often settled quickly. Still, in the spirit of the season of championship competition, here are eight real estate wars worth watching. Renting vs. Buying High home prices compounded by high mortgage rates translate to lofty monthly mortgage payments t ..read more

Q: Our HOA ballot package for the board election included 3 candidate statements that endorsed themselves as a slate, one of whom also criticized their opponent. In the past, candidate statements included bios, qualifications, and what they had done or will do, but did not mention opponents or endorse other candidates.  The nomination forms asked for candidate statements of qualifications. We emailed objections that equal access to election campaigning was not afforded to 2 candidates whose statements gave their qualifications only. We also objected to the disregard of our election campai ..read more

American Express and Worldpay, a credit and debit card processor, have each sued Pirch, alleging the luxury appliance retailer owes them almost $50 million in transaction disputes and chargebacks initiated by Pirch’s aggrieved customers. On Wednesday, the company’s leaders emailed staff, announcing Pirch was permanently shutting down and has processed final paychecks. The San Diego County-based Pirch has several locations in Southern California, including Costa Mesa, Mission Viejo, Glendale, Rancho Mirage and San Diego. The company halted operations in late March, leaving customers with unfulf ..read more