Pilots at JetBlue decide against joining a union

Pilots at JetBlue are choosing to go without union representation.

It is the second time in three years pilots at the New York airline have tried and failed to unionize. The latest attempt was driven by Air Line Pilots Association, or ALPA, which represents thousands of employees at major airlines.

JetBlue Airways Corp. said Tuesday that 58 percent of just over 2,000 valid votes were cast against bringing in some form of representation. Forty-two percent of votes were cast in favor of a union.

 

Bank of America, Blackstone working on real estate deal

Two published reports say Bank of America Corp. is in talks with Blackstone Group LP over a possible deal to sell real estate assets previously owned by Merrill Lynch to the private-equity firm.

The reports in the Financial Times and Wall Street Journal on Tuesday each cited unidentified persons familiar with the matter.

The Financial Times’ report said the deal could reach up to $1 billion, but also noted that a definitive deal hasn’t been signed yet.

The Financial Times reported that the assets represent the bulk of Merrill Lynch’s housing-boom era investments.

Bank of America declined to comment on Tuesday.

 

S&P rates Google stock ‘Sell’ over Motorola Mobility plan

Standard & Poor’s is saying investors should sell Google’s stock because it believes the search leader’s decision to buy Motorola Mobility increases the risk to the company and its shares.

Google Inc. said Monday it will pay $12.5 billion for Motorola Mobility, a major maker of phones using Google’s Android mobile software. The deal includes mobile patents that could help Google defend itself against rivals.

S&P said that while the acquisition would include a patent trove, that might not be enough to keep Google’s Android software from encountering intellectual-property issues. It downgraded its rating on Google’s shares to “Sell” from “Buy.”

 

J.M. Smucker lowers prices of Folgers, Dunkin’ coffees

J.M. Smucker Co. announced Tuesday that it has lowered its U.S. coffee prices by 6 percent on average, though not enough to make up for several recent increases.

The company, which sells coffee under the Folgers, Millstone and Dunkin’ Donuts brands, has raised its coffee prices four times in two years.

The cuts primarily affect Folgers and Dunkin’ Donuts lines.