(VOR News) – The majority of Puerto Rico was impacted by a widespread outage that occurred in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Over one and a half million customers were left without power as a direct consequence of this. It was at precisely the same time when the island was getting ready to celebrate the New Year that the tragedy took happened.

There is a warning that has been issued by the authorities, suggesting that it could take up to two days to get electricity back on. Every single one of the electrical appliances and air conditioning units on the island were turned off as a result of the power outage, which started at dawn and left the island in tense silence.

Puerto Rico was filled with anxiety following this incident.

The staff who were able to get generators in a timely manner turned them on so that they could continue to run without interruption. This was done in an effort to maintain a level of comfort that was at least partly satisfactory within the premises.

In San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, Manuel, who was standing outside a grocery store, voiced his displeasure with the fact that the blackout had occurred on the same day that he was celebrating his birthday. Manuel was expressing his displeasure about the fact that the blackout had occurred.

It was at that precise moment that he called out, “It had to be on the 31st of December!” An old proverb that states, “There is no happiness.”

According to Luma Energy, the private business that is in charge of the transmission and distribution of energy in Puerto Rico, there are around 1.47 million consumers across the island, and according to Luma Energy, nearly 90 percent of those clients were affected by the issue.

After the power loss that happened initially, the company anticipates that it will take anywhere from twenty-four to forty-eight hours for the power to be restored. This estimate is contingent on the particulars of the scenario.

According to Luma Energy, the power loss was caused by a malfunction in an underground power line. This information was provided about the incident.

Additionally, the corporation said that efforts are now being undertaken to restore electricity “in the quickest and safest way possible.” It has been asserted by a representative that an investigation is currently being carried out in order to determine the reason for the occurrence that has taken place.

Puerto Rico has not heard from Genera PR.

Despite the fact that there was no clearly defined timescale for the restoration of electricity, a large number of residents had already begun preparing alternative preparations with the intention of restoring power. I am going to go out onto my balcony and take a look around.

He was 63 years old when Raúl Pacheco, a diabetic who was seated on a walker and nursing an injured foot, expressed his intention to sleep in that particular spot. He was taking care of his foot.

Julio Córdova, an employee of the municipality, was found to be raking leaves while utilizing the light from his iPhone. This was detected by the authorities. In addition to that, he mentioned that he intended to come in order to purchase candles. As a consequence of this, my plans are impacted because I put them in place before this happened.

“Is it not possible that it could have happened yesterday or tomorrow?” he questioned, shaking his head as he raised the question. “Is it not possible that it could have happened before?”

In spite of the fact that blackouts are believed to be relatively uncommon in the region, the island of Puerto Rico continues to struggle with power outages that are continuous.

A contributing aspect that makes this situation even more serious is the island’s outdated electrical grid, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 hurricane that wreaked havoc on Puerto Rico in September of 2017. Hurricane Maria was responsible for the destruction that occurred on the island

SOURCE: TN

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(VOR News) – BYD, the Chinese manufacturer, has released a statement addressing concerns concerning adverse conditions at a construction site in Brazil where the business is building a facility.

The assertion claims that the accusations aim to “discredit” China and its enterprises. At the week’s outset, a task force led by Brazilian prosecutors declared the rescue of 163 Chinese people subjected to conditions akin to slavery at the location.

The Labor Prosecutor’s Office recorded a video of the workers’ dormitories, which displayed beds lacking mattresses and rudimentary kitchen facilities.

BYD spokeswoman Li Yunfei strongly opposed the issue on Weibo.

The statement additionally condemned the media’s portrayal of the incident. “The statement indicated that foreign entities are intentionally maligning Chinese brands, disparaging China, and seeking to jeopardize the relationship between China and Brazil.”

BYD, an acronym for “Build Your Dreams,” is a prominent maker of electric automobiles globally. On Monday evening, the corporation declared its intention to “immediately terminate the contract” with the Jinjiang Group, the contractor responsible for the factory’s construction, and stated that it was “evaluating other suitable measures…”

BYD announced that the employees at Jinjiang will be accommodated in nearby hotels temporarily and that they will not suffer negative consequences from the decision to halt operations at their workplace.

The corporation announced that it had been altering the working conditions at the construction site in recent weeks and had notified its contractors that “adjustments” were necessary.

Li’s tweet on Weibo included what it said to be a “declaration” from the Chinese workers at the site. The tweet included a video depicting individuals seated together in a room. The men’s thumbprints were crimson.

The video depicted a worker articulating a statement asserting that allegations of impoverished and “slave-like” conditions violated their human rights and that these difficulties stemmed from misunderstandings.

BYD should continue our employment here.”

Upon completing his work, the employees applauded. Prosecutors asserted that the sanitation conditions at BYD’s site were notably inadequate. There was one toilet for every 31 workers, necessitating their rise at four in the morning to line up and be prepared for work by five thirty.

Brazilian law defines conditions akin to slavery as defined by the worker’s subjugation to coerced labor or excessive working hours, acceptance of deplorable working conditions, and limitations on the worker’s freedom of movement.

Brazilian officials reported that Jinjiang Construction Brazil confiscated the workers’ passports and retained sixty percent of their wages, in addition to the substandard living conditions imposed on the workers.

The labor office’s statement indicates that employees who resign must reimburse the corporation for their travel expenses to China and return ticket costs.

The employees’ statement indicates that the passports were taken to enable the corporation to file work permits and other procedures that the employees could not accomplish independently due to language barriers.

Jinjiang Construction Brazil has reported that it is undergoing “frequent and intensive inspections by the BYD local labor department in Brazil.”

The labor department’s disclosed information was characterized as false, particularly the claims that the Jinjiang laborers were ‘enslaved’ and ‘rescued,’ which are entirely contradictory to the facts. This arose from cultural disparities, BYD translation difficulties, and comprehension difficulties regarding the content.

A declaration was issued asserting that the staff were enthusiastic about engaging with the media on the topic.

In numerous regions of the developing globe, the living conditions of migrant construction workers might be exceedingly inadequate. Moreover, such labor occasionally entails contracts that compel workers to reimburse BYD substantial sums of money expended to secure their positions, despite legal prohibitions against such agreements.

SOURCE: AP

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Walmart Charged With Unlawfully Establishing Bank Accounts for 1 Million Drivers

(VOR News) – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) filed a lawsuit against Walmart and a fintech company called Branch Messenger, alleging that the two companies forced more than a million delivery workers to use costly bank accounts to receive their paychecks. Both of these companies were the targets of the lawsuit.

According to the action filed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Walmart and Branch are accused of opening deposit accounts for Walmart’s Spark Drivers, who are considered independent contractors, without first getting their consent.

These bank accounts contained drivers’ personal data, including their Social Security numbers.

The lawsuit specifically claims that Walmart’s drivers, who are in charge of delivering goods from the company’s warehouses to consumers, are only allowed to have their earnings transferred into these branch accounts.

This goes against the company’s rules, which permit them to move their earnings to different accounts.

Walmart reportedly told employees in 2021 that using these accounts may lead to firing.

Additionally, the lawsuit claimed that accessing profits through the accounts was a “complex process,” typically causing weeks-long delays. Among the other accusations that were made was this one.

This was the predicament they ultimately found themselves in, even though the business had assured them that they would have prompt access to funds.

To make matters worse, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), drivers allegedly paid ten million dollars in “junk fees” to move their earnings to different bank accounts.

Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Rohit Chopra, said, “Companies cannot force workers into getting paid through accounts that drain their earnings with junk fees,” in his criticism of the practice. “Junk fees are a waste of money.”

This case’s next section outlined the traits of the average Spark Driver: “in addition to being a woman, having children, not having a college degree, and having a low income.”

Walmart denied the accusations made by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and stated in a statement that it will firmly defend itself in court.

Walmart released a statement claiming that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) hurried lawsuit is full of factual errors, exaggerations, and blatant misrepresentations of basic legal principles.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) never gave Walmart a chance to make its case in an unbiased way throughout its rushed probe. In contrast to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, we are ready to fiercely defend the Company before a court that respects the due process of law principle.

Additionally, Branch was charged by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) with engaging in deceptive advertising and neglecting to look into and address issues pertaining to the accounts. In addition to earlier accusations, these were also made.

In contrast, Branch denied the accusations and defended its services, saying, “The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rushed to file a lawsuit despite the company’s extensive cooperation with its investigation, refusing to engage with Branch in any meaningful way about this matter.”

Branch responded to the Walmart accusations with a statement.

Furthermore, Branch claimed that the case was motivated more by a desire for “media attention” than by concerns for the welfare of the employees. This is what he stated in his statement.

This case, which is part of a larger campaign to give these gig workers more rights, targets these individuals who work for firms like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash who are supposed to be independent contractors. It is considered that gig workers are independent contractors.

Earlier this month, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) made claims against large financial firms, including Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and JPMorgan Chase.

According to the CFPB, these organizations did not stop fraud on the money-sending app Zelle, which is a platform that lets people send and receive money.

The choice of a new director may have an impact on the outcome of this lawsuit because President-elect Donald Trump is expected to choose a replacement for the present director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

When Jaret Seiberg was employed as a financial services policy analyst at TD Cowen Washington Research Group, she noted that the new director’s strategy for handling such matters would be the deciding element in the case’s future course.

SOURCE: TN

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