Apology by Papa John’s for NFL remarks
Papa John’s Pizza apologized this week for comments made by CEO John Schnatter blaming sluggish pizza sales on NFL players kneeling during the national anthem.
The Louisville, Ky.based company is a major NFL sponsor and advertiser, and Schnatter said during an earnings call on Nov. 1 that “NFL leadership has hurt Papa John’s shareholders” and that the protests “should have been nipped in the bud a year and a half ago.”
“The statements made on our earnings call were describing the factors that impact our business, and we sincerely apologize to anyone that thought they were divisive,” the company said in a tweet. “That definitely was not our intention.
“We believe in the right to protest inequality and support the players’ movement to create a new platform for change. We also believe, as Americans, we should honor our anthem. There is a way to do both.”
The movement was started last year by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who kneeled to protest what he said was police mistreatment of blacks.
The company’s stock has fallen nearly 13 percent since Schnatter’s comments.
Government sues medical staffing firm over OT
The U.S. Department of Labor sued a Kingwood medical staffing firm along with its chief executive officer and human resources manager for allegedly firing an employee for complaining she was not paid overtime and then providing negative job references to future employers.
Alios Medical Staffing implemented a policy of not paying overtime in January 2016, according to the government’s lawsuit, which was filed this month in federal court in Houston. The staffing firm paid employees their regular hourly rate regardless of the number of hours they worked in a week.
The staffing firm could not be reached for comment and has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit in court.
The government filed the case on behalf of Nicky Smith, a nurse assistant/medication aide.
Poke restaurant has opened in Energy Corridor
Poke Now, a restaurant selling poke bowls, salads and tacos, has opened at 17758 Katy Freeway at Barker Cypress in the Energy Corridor.
The restaurant, part of McLoughlin Group/Poke Now Restaurants, aims to eventually franchise the concept, according to Hector McLoughlin.
Some AT&T customers can’t make calls
Some AT&T wireless customers in Houston and other cities reported Wednesday they were unable to make calls. The company was advising customers to restart their phones, but that wasn’t working for all users, based on comments posted to Twitter.
AT&T said on its Twitter account that some users may need to restart their phones several times. Some customers had better luck turning on Airplane Mode on their phones, then turning that feature off again.
The problem occurs when a customer hits the Send button, and the call window then closes.
Reuters reported that AT&T indicated it had no estimate when the problem would be resolved.
Limited liability for self-driving automakers?
SAN FRANCISCO — California regulators are embracing a General Motors recommendation that would help makers of self-driving cars avoid paying for accidents and other trouble, raising concerns that the proposal will put an unfair burden on vehicle owners.
If adopted, the regulations drafted by the California Department of Motor Vehicles would protect these automakers from lawsuits in cases where vehicles haven’t been maintained according to manufacturer specifications.
That could open a loophole for automakers to skirt responsibility for accidents, injuries and deaths caused by defective autonomous vehicles, said Armand Feliciano, vice president for the Association of California Insurance Companies.
“When is the last time you followed everything that is listed in your car manual?” Feliciano said.
The California DMV declined to comment because its proposed regulations are still being completed.
In other news …
• General Motors is telling investors its next generation of electric vehicles will cost the company 30 percent less than current ones, making them profitable after the new version debuts in 2021.
• Target shares fell 9 percent after the retailer released a more conservative profit guidance for the fourth quarter than investors were expecting.
• A chicken processing plant that has been cited for polluting the Suwannee River settled a lawsuit that was brought by environmental groups in Florida. Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. agreed to pay $1.4 million and to upgrade equipment to help reduce the plant’s waste.