Nestle Purina PetCare Focuses Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts on People and Pets
ST. LOUIS, (PRNewswire), September 18, 2005 - Last week, Nestle Purina PetCare, headquartered in St. Louis, Mo.,, shipped an additional 60 tons of Purina(R) dog and cat food and Tidy Cats(R) litter to areas affected by Hurricane Katrina.
The Company is slated to ship another full truckload of product early this week, bringing the total to nearly 150 tons of Purina(R) brand product donated. Nestle Purina remains in contact with many pet-based organizations, seeking the most efficient ways to continue providing assistance to pets in need.
Immediately following the hurricane, the Company implemented a matching gifts program for all of its U.S. pet care associates to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. Purina will match dollar for dollar up to $100,000 all donations associates make to the American Red Cross or Noah's Wish, a not-for-profit animal welfare organization dedicated exclusively to rescuing and sheltering animals in disasters. Nestle Purina also has committed $15,000 to an emergency relief team dispatched by the Humane Society of Missouri.
"Our thoughts remain with the many victims of Hurricane Katrina's devastation," said W. Patrick McGinnis, Nestle Purina's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Purina is committed to providing assistance to both the people and pets who are suffering in the wake of this catastrophic event."
American Red Cross Assures Hurricane Evacuees Who Remain in Hotels: Temporary Housing Assistance Program Will Continue for Another 30 Days
ST. LOUIS, (PRNewswire), September 18, 2005 - Tens of thousands of Hurricane Katrina evacuees are without resources for accommodations, so the American Red Cross, in cooperation with FEMA, is extending its temporary housing assistance program for an additional 30 days and will continue to grant extensions every 30 days until other options are available.
"We're almost three weeks out from Hurricane Katrina and many people are still facing a housing crisis. They may have gone to stay with family, but they can't stay there indefinitely. They may be in a town where a small shelter is closing. Or the authorities may have airlifted them to a city somewhere and put them in a hotel for a set number of days," said Michael Brackney, manager of client service program development for the American Red Cross.
"Rather than have those people uprooted again and have them go to a shelter when their current situation runs out, we want them to know the Red Cross and FEMA will cover the cost of an additional 30 days in a hotel and will continue that support until other housing is available."
Evacuees who need this assistance must contact front desk staff at their hotel to arrange to extend their stay for an additional 30 days, if space is available. They will be asked for evidence of their pre-disaster address, which must be in a ZIP code presidentially declared as a disaster area, and for the number of people needing accommodations.
The temporary housing assistance program is a nationwide program and may be used anywhere. However, the program is most useful outside the hardest-hit, storm-ravaged areas where hotel rooms are most available.
Since rolling out earlier this month as part of a multi-pronged effort to offer financial assistance to victims of Katrina, the transient housing program has twice been extended to offer longer lodging stays. Previously, the Red Cross announced Sept. 12 a 14-day extension for evacuees currently using the program. To date, more than 179,000 hurricane survivors have been assisted through this program.
All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help the victims of this disaster and thousands of other disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need. Call 1-800-HELP NOW or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting http://www.redcross.org/.
Solutia's U.S. Labor Unions Approve New Collective Bargaining Agreements
ST. LOUIS, (PRNewswire), September 18, 2005 - Solutia Inc., a manufacturer and provider of performance films, specialty chemicals and an integrated family of nylon products, has announced that each of its U.S. labor unions has ratified new five-year collective bargaining agreements which set pension and health and welfare benefits for its employees who are represented by labor unions. The agreements, which take effect January 1, 2006, provide for changes to pension and welfare benefits consistent with those Solutia had previously implemented for U.S. non-union employees.
In an announcement, Jeffry N. Quinn, president and CEO, Solutia Inc. said, "The ratification of these agreements is a strong endorsement of the future of our company by a very important segment of our employees. These changes will help us emerge from bankruptcy as a viable, well-positioned company. I would like to commend the union officers at each of our facilities for their leadership in working with us to build a Solutia that can achieve its ultimate potential."
James R. Voss, senior vice president of business operations, added, "The new agreements includes changes to our pension and employee welfare benefits that are necessary for Solutia to be cost competitive on a global basis, and to improve the future viability of our unionized facilities. In an era when too often companies have an adversarial relationship with their unions in the courtroom or on the picket lines, we are pleased that our union memberships had the foresight to work with us and negotiate and ratify five-year agreements that are in everyone's best interests."
Approximately 14 percent of Solutia's 4,100 U.S. employees are represented by labor unions. These seven local labor unions represent employees at five Solutia sites: Anniston, Ala.; Sauget, Ill. (Krummrich Plant); St. Louis, Mo. (Queeny Plant); Trenton, Mich.; and Springfield, Mass. (Indian Orchard Plant). These sites produce such products as Saflex(R) and Butvar(R) resin, used in the automotive and commercial/residential construction industries, along with other products such as Therminol(R) heat transfer fluids, which are used in manufacturing processes at temperatures ranging from -60 degrees F to 750 degrees F, and Skydrol(R), the most advanced fire-resistant hydraulic fluid for aviation.
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