UK

Hospital consultants to take industrial action in pay row


Alan Jones, PA Industrial Correspondent
Tue, 27 June 2023 

Hospital consultants in England are set to take industrial action next month after voting heavily in favour in a dispute over pay.

More than 24,000 members of the British Medical Association (BMA) backed industrial action by 86% on a turnout of 71%, well above the legal threshold of 50%.

The BMA said that unless the government makes a “credible offer” which can be put to its members, they will take part in industrial action on July 20 and 21 – just days after junior doctors in England are due to strike for five days over pay.


The BMA said take-home pay for consultants in England has fallen by 35% since 2008/2009.

The consultants’ industrial action will take the form of Christmas Day cover, meaning that most routine and elective services will be cancelled but full emergency cover will remain in place.

The BMA said it announced its planned dates for industrial action six weeks before the potential action so that consultants and their colleagues were able to put in early plans to manage patient lists and prioritise urgent patient care in the event of a successful ballot.

Dr Vishal Sharma, BMA consultants committee chair, said: “We know consultants don’t take the decision around industrial action lightly, but this vote shows how furious they are at being repeatedly devalued by Government. Consultants are not worth a third less than we were 15 years ago and have had enough.

“Consultants don’t want to have to take industrial action, but have been left with no option in the face of a Government that continues to cut our pay year after year. However, it is not too late to avert strike action and the Government simply needs to come back to us with a credible offer that we can put to our members.

“We are simply asking for fairness to ensure that there is a pay settlement that begins to reverse the real-terms pay decline that we have suffered and a commitment to fully reform the pay review process to ensure that it can make truly independent recommendations in the future that take into account historical losses so that we don’t find ourselves in this situation again.

“But if they refuse, it is with a heavy heart that we will take action next month. We will prioritise patient safety and continue to provide emergency care, in-keeping with the level of services available on Christmas Day.”

It comes just hours after the threat of more strikes by nurses ended because a ballot on further industrial action failed to meet the legal threshold.

The Royal College of Nursing said 84% of its members who voted backed more strikes.

But only 43% took part in the ballot, so it failed to reach the legal threshold of 50% required by the 2016 Trade Union Act.

Dr Sharma added: “Consultants are the NHS’s most experienced, highly-skilled clinicians, and are responsible not just for providing specialist care to patients, but also leading entire services and training the doctors of the future.

“The Government can and must fix consultant pay now and for the future. Failure to do so will lead consultants to leave the NHS and the country, or towards retirement before their time.

“The loss of this expertise would be devastating for services, patients and the future of the NHS.”

News of the consultants’ ballot result emerged just hours after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hosted health chiefs in Downing Street to discuss the NHS workforce plan, due to be published later this week.

Representatives from NHS England, NHS Providers and the royal colleges, including the RCN’s Pat Cullen, were among those who attended the meeting.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said it was a “positive meeting” but issues around pay were not covered during the talks.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We hugely value the work of NHS consultants and it is disappointing the BMA consultants have voted to take strike action. Consultants received a 4.5% pay uplift last financial year, increasing average earnings to around £128,000, and they will benefit from generous changes to pension taxation announced at budget.

“Strikes are hugely disruptive for patients and put pressure on other NHS staff. We’ve been engaging with the BMA consultants committee on their concerns already and stand ready to open talks again – we urge them to come to the negotiating table rather than proceeding with their proposed strike dates.

(PA Graphics)

“We urge the BMA to carefully consider the likely impact of any action on patients.”

Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “Trust leaders, staff and patients are dreading industrial action by consultants next month hard on the heels of a five-day strike by junior doctors.

“A double whammy of consultants resorting to two days of ‘Christmas Day cover’ – meaning they will provide emergency care but routine work will be paused – and a full walkout by junior doctors days earlier in the longest single strike ever seen in the NHS means disruption for many thousands of patients and yet more pressure on overstretched services. This is a huge risk for the NHS to manage.

“July will be the eighth consecutive month of industrial action across the NHS. More than 651,000 routine operations and appointments have had to be postponed already since December due to industrial action across the NHS with knock-on delays for many thousands more.

“We understand how strongly doctors feel – the high turnout in the consultants’ vote shows just how strongly – and why they are striking.

“Trust leaders will continue to do everything they can to limit disruption and keep patients safe, but that’s getting harder and more expensive with every strike.

“These strikes don’t have to go ahead. There’s still time for the Government and the doctors’ unions to settle their differences and find a way through.

“The urgency can’t be overstated. Trust leaders want the Government and unions to sit down, facilitated by a third party if necessary, to find a way to end strikes.”

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting called it an “unmitigated disaster of the Government’s making”, adding that the “risk to patients and the NHS is intolerable”.

“Rishi Sunak cannot continue to sit back like a passive observer and let this go ahead. He must now get the doctors in for immediate negotiations to bring these strikes to an end.

“If Rishi Sunak has time to negotiate honours with Boris Johnson, he can negotiate with NHS doctors.”

With UPS Teamsters strike looming, union workers to hold 'practice picket' at Worldport

Olivia Evans, Louisville Courier Journal
Tue, June 27, 2023 

With a month left before their contract expires, the union representing more than 340,000 UPS workers is calling for "practice pickets" nationwide.

In Louisville, that means thousands of Teamsters Local 89 members will begin practicing a picket line Wednesday morning at Worldport, the largest sorting and logistics facility in America.

The Louisville action comes days after the International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien called for practice pickets nationwide after claiming UPS presented an "appalling economic counterproposal" to the Teamsters during national negotiations for a new labor contract.

More on the UPS negotiations: UPS Teamsters union employees pass strike action vote. What that means for you.

"These are being coordinated across the country; we wanted to do it as soon as we could," said Stephen Piercey, the communications director for Teamsters Local 89, which represents roughly 10,000 UPS employees in Louisville.

Despite the nationwide practice pickets, UPS says it remains confident that a new contract will be reached.

"We are making steady progress in our negotiations with the Teamsters on a wide array of issues," said Laura Holmberg, a spokesperson for UPS. "Even so, we are not surprised to see some union members making their voices heard."
Is a 'practice picket' a strike?

It is not a strike.

"It's kind of a mock picket line," Piercey said. It serves as a training exercise and prepares members, many of whom have never been on a picket line. "It also kind of serves as a little bit of a rally," he said.

Union members also hope the practice picket moves UPS to meet some of their negotiating demands.

"A practice picket is one of the most powerful or aggressive job actions you can take, and it is typically ... the last thing you do prior to a potential legal strike," Piercey said. "It's meant to serve many functions, but one of the biggest is it's kind of meant to be a shot across the bow at the company saying, 'This is what's coming if you guys don't get serious and give our members what they want.'"

A strike, unlike a practice picket, is a legal action the union can choose to take only after the contract is expired.

Will the practice picket impact me as a consumer?

No.

Employees who are on the clock during the practice picket are expected to go to work and not participate. Piercey said one of the first things union members are told ahead of the practice picket is, "Do not be late to your shift ... this is a training exercise it's not an actual picket."

Teamsters are explicitly instructed to not interfere with or disturb working operations for employees on the clock, to not disparage the employer, to not tell the public to boycott the company, along with other items. The union members are expected to remain peaceful for the duration of the practice picket.

Teamsters Local 89 anticipates the practice picket, which will start at 10 a.m., to last roughly 45 minutes.
Why are local UPS workers practice picketing?

At midnight on July 31, the contract between UPS and the Teamsters will expire if an agreement is not reached between the two sides.

The two entities have been negotiating for a few months and have reached some tentative agreements on items such as air conditioning measures and heat safety.

After negotiating non-economic components of the contract, Teamsters and UPS have recently shifted to focus on negotiating pay, benefits and other financial elements. On June 22, the Teamsters tweeted their disappointment in UPS' counterproposal to economic negotiations.

On June 27, the Teamsters Twitter indicated that UPS did not return with a revised economic proposal.

Piercey said he hopes the nationwide practice pickets, including the one in Louisville, will encourage "the company to action, to get them to get serious at the table and not play games anymore." The last time the Teamsters held a strike was in 1997.

In a statement to the Courier Journal, Holmberg at UPS said, "We plan and expect to reach agreement on a new contract before the end of July that is a win for our employees, our company and customers and the union."

For you: UPS to change Friday operations in response to reduction in package volume

Union members also say they look forward to reaching a contract agreement.

"Really, all we're trying to accomplish is to activate our members, make sure they're engaged and make sure they know and to send a signal to UPS that if they don't get serious that we are prepared to do whatever it takes for us to win the contract our members deserve," Piercey said. "None of us want to see a strike at UPS."

This story will be updated.

Contact reporter Olivia Evans at oevans@courier-journal.com or on Twitter at @oliviamevans_

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: UPS Teamsters hold 'practice picket' in KY as potential strike looms

Teamsters Slam ‘Appalling’ UPS Contract Proposal


Glenn Taylor
Updated Tue, June 27, 2023 


A potential Aug. 1 strike is still on the table for more than 330,000 UPS workers, with the union behind them stepping up labor contract negotiations with an unwavering message: pay up.

After a Thursday meeting where the International Brotherhood of Teamsters shared their full economic proposal with UPS for a new five-year contract, the union voiced its displeasure with the shipping company’s “appalling” counterproposal, declaring “no more meetings until money gets real.”

“The Teamsters will not bargain or accept any contract that’s cost-neutral,” said Sean M. O’Brien, general president of the Teamsters, during the meeting. “We are not going to sell ourselves short in these negotiations, and we will not buy back terms and conditions to protect our members. We have 39 days to go. This company is wasting time putting forth offensive proposals. If UPS wants to negotiate a contract for 1997 working conditions, they’re going to get 1997 consequences.”

O’Brien didn’t share the full financial details of the Teamsters proposal, but said it was “the biggest economic proposal in labor history.”

The proposal’s priorities included wage increases each year of the contract, “catch-up raises” for part-time employees, additional holidays and more paid time off, pension increases, as well as protection and enhancement of existing health and welfare benefits.

The union also wants to eliminate the two-tier 22.4 job classification, which the Teamsters say penalizes junior workers who perform the same functions as senior workers, and create more full-time jobs created over the next five years.

On Thursday, UPS described the talks’ progress toward a new national master agreement as “strong,” with both parties agreeing on all non-economic issues.

According to O’Brien, the delivery company and the union members have reached 55 tentative agreements addressing a variety of topics within the contract, such as the installation of air conditioners within all vehicles purchased after Jan. 1, 2024.

The parcel giant said the economic proposal will require “serious and detailed discussion” over the next few weeks.

“UPS is prepared to be at the table every day until we reach an agreement that allows us to continue rewarding our people with the best pay and benefits package in the industry while providing the flexibility our business needs to deliver for our customers and consumers,” said UPS in a statement.

The parties have taken different public approaches to the labor negotiations, with UPS and CEO Carol Tomé continually pointing to the progress being made. On the other hand, the Teamsters have been more critical of the opposition, whether it be via social media posts on Twitter or Facebook or commentary from O’Brien himself. On Friday, the union’s Twitter account detailed recent demonstrations outside UPS facilities.

N.Y. Warehouse Worker Protection Act goes into effect

Elsewhere on the logistics labor front, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Monday that legislation protecting warehouse workers from unreasonably demanding work quotas is now in effect.

The Warehouse Worker Protection Act, signed in December, includes new requirements for distribution centers to disclose work speed data to current and former employees to inform them about their job performance and rights in the workplace.

The legislation also protects workers from disciplinary action or firing exclusively because of a failure to meet undisclosed quotas or performance standards, including those that do not allow for proper breaks.

With the Warehouse Worker Protection Act now in effect, employees can request quota information at any time, and are protected from having to work through meals or being limited from using the bathroom to make quota. These workers also can report violations related to quotas, and are immune from employer retaliation.

This law applies to employers and employees at warehouse distribution centers.

Within 30 days of an employee’s start date, employers must share quotas with them through a written description (in their preferred language) of each quota they are expected to meet.

“Warehouse workers suffer serious work-related injuries at a rate more than twice the average for all private industries. These workers routinely spend entire shifts speeding through tasks in an attempt to meet quotas mandated by their employers, all too often suffering musculoskeletal and repetitive stress injuries as a result,” said Mario Cilento, president of the New York State AFL-CIO, saying the act “provides long overdue limits to protect warehouse workers from inhumane quotas, and to protect them from retaliation for asserting their rights under this law.”

Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), also threw his support behind the legislation, calling it “an important step in ensuring that workers are not forced to choose between their job and their safety.”

The RWDSU has represented employees at REI stores in Manhattan and Cleveland, as well as those seeking unionization at Amazon’s Bessemer, Ala. distribution center, where a terminated union leader was recently reinstated.

Teamsters president tells UPS union wants tentative agreement in 1 week

Mark Solomon
Tue, June 27, 2023 

Tentative contract in 1 week, Teamster boss demands. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Teamsters union General President Sean M. O’ Brien told UPS that the union wants a tentative contract agreement within the next week that its leadership can support or that it will demand that the company present its last, best and final contract offer.

The escalating rhetoric, included in a Tuesday statement, comes as UPS (NYSE: UPS) purportedly returned to the bargaining table Tuesday morning in Washington without an updated counteroffer to present to the union. According to union sources, O’Brien harshly reiterated that the Teamsters will not work beyond July 31 without a new contract.

“When we say the current contract expires July 31, that means we want a new contract in place starting August 1. Not in six months. Not next spring. We demand a historic new contract August 1, with more money in our members’ pockets immediately,” O’Brien said in the statement. “UPS has wasted enough time and hoarded these record profits. Our members want what they have earned.”

Any tentative agreement would need to be endorsed by the Teamsters’ national committee before being properly disseminated and voted on by the membership by the end of the current agreement.

UPS was not immediately available to comment.

Before caucusing to review economic proposals, the Teamsters told UPS the union committed to working seven days a week and through the upcoming holiday weekend to get a deal done.

“This is why there’s new leadership at the Teamsters. UPS isn’t working with the union’s prior administration, dragging out the bargaining process and submitting to extensions until finally agreeing to a watered-down deal months after the expiration of the contract,” said General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman. “This is what hard bargaining looks like. This is labor’s leverage, and the Teamsters are not afraid to use it.”

Both sides have already concluded talks on noneconomic issues, tentatively agreeing to language covering 55 agreements. The union presented its initial offer to UPS last Wednesday to cover economic issues such as wages, benefits and changes in worker classifications. The union subsequently rejected UPS’ counteroffer as appalling, saying it calls for meager wage increases and takes workers backward on cost-of-living adjustments.

The post Teamsters president tells UPS union wants tentative agreement in 1 week appeared first on FreightWaves.

Teamsters Union Allocates $2M to Aid Members During Writers Strike

Katie Kilkenny
Mon, June 26, 2023 


The International Brotherhood of Teamsters union is allocating $2 million to aid members that are in financial straits amid the ongoing writers’ strike.

The labor organization, which represents drivers, location managers and casting directors, among others in entertainment, will be creating a fund to assist members in need after its general executive board unanimously approved the action. Particular eligibility criteria have yet to be announced, but the fund will be dedicated to all Teamsters that work in the entertainment industry, the union announced on Monday.

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“We can’t rely on employers to protect and support our members,” the union’s general president Sean O’Brien said in a statement. “Teamsters protect Teamsters. This money will go to support hardworking families.”

Fellow entertainment crew union IATSE announced that it was directing the same amount to a series of established industry charities earlier this month in order to help its members facing tough times. The Entertainment Community Fund (formerly the Actors Fund), the Motion Picture & Television Fund, the Inevitable Foundation and Humanitas are just some of the institutions that are likewise offering support to striking writers and/or to other workers in the entertainment industry whose livelihoods have been adversely affected by the work stoppage.

Many members of the Teamsters have been visibly supportive of the writers’ strike since it began on May 2. Empowered by a clause in their contract that shields members from discipline if they respect a picket line, various Teamster-driven trucks have turned around when faced with striking writers at production locations, helping the writers expediently shut down ongoing productions and disrupt day-to-day activities at studios.

Lindsay Dougherty, the director of the union’s motion picture and theatrical trade division and western region vice president said in a statement that studios and tech companies “should be ashamed of themselves for playing games with people’s livelihoods.” She added, “We are committed to making sure our members are protected and getting this money into their hands as soon as possible.”

Yellow running out of options, sues union for $137M

Todd Maiden

FreightWaves
Tue, June 27, 2023 

. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Less-than-truckload carrier Yellow Corp. announced Tuesday that it has filed a $137 million breach of contract lawsuit against the International Brotherhood of Teamsters for blocking proposed changes to modernize how the carrier operates.

Yellow (NASDAQ: YELL) said the union doesn’t have the authority to stop a proposed change of operations, which the company views as the linchpin to its survival. Yellow alleges that union interference has harmed the company to the tune of $137.3 million (“and counting”) in lost adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization as well as at least $1.5 billion for a loss in enterprise value that the company “is sustaining and will sustain.”

Yellow’s enterprise value — market capitalization plus net debt — consists mostly of its debt. Yellow’s market cap has plummeted since the end of 2021 as its share price has fallen from more than $14 to roughly $1.

“We do not take this action lightly, but the Union’s leadership has left us with no choice,” Yellow’s management stated in a news release. “For many months, we have made good faith efforts to meet with the IBT to propose a path forward that works for all parties, but they refuse even to meet, let alone engage in honest talks.”

The carrier is seeking to push through a second phase of operational changes as part of a companywide overhaul called “One Yellow.”

The plan includes the consolidation of its four LTL operating companies, closing excess terminals and redefining work rules for some drivers, among other items. The union has rejected the latest proposal after acquiescing to a similar change last year in the western part of Yellow’s network.

The union has been adamant that the latest proposal would require too many utility positions, which require drivers to work freight on the docks at various locations. It says its member employees at Yellow have given billions in the form of wage, benefits and pension concessions in the past and that it will not bail out the company again. It plans to honor the current contract in place, which expires next year.

“The company is misleading our members and the public,” said Fred Zuckerman, Teamsters general secretary-treasurer, in a news release. “We have a contract with Yellow that expires March 31, 2024, and Teamsters are living up to it. … This lawsuit is a desperate, last-ditch attempt to save face.”

But Yellow says the Teamsters have no right to interfere with the changes it seeks.

“Under the NMFA [National Master Freight Agreement], Yellow has the exclusive right to run its business, effect mergers, consolidate operations, open and close terminals, and the Union cannot interfere with those entrepreneurial decisions — its involvement is limited to determining and resolving the seniority of those Union employees affected by the change,” the lawsuit read.

Yellow contends the changes are required to lower its cost structure and allow it to compete with nonunion carriers, which have less cumbersome rules and often combine the roles of driving and freight handling. The lawsuit said recent market share losses — roughly a 33% decline in tonnage over the last two years — are directly associated with the way it is required to operate.

The company asserts that 1,000 road drivers in total would be required to work the docks. Roughly 400 are already performing the dual functions and the remaining 600 utility positions would be filled by employees with the least seniority.

The complaint alleges Sean O’Brien, Teamsters general president, “has prevented Yellow from meeting with IBT leadership.” Yellow contends that the union has been onboard with Yellow’s restructuring plan but it’s O’Brien’s “militant approach” that has stalled the implementation.

“Now, however, the Union has reversed course and without any justification refuses to comply with its contractual obligations to cooperate with and not impede the implementation of the remaining phases of One Yellow,” the lawsuit said.

Yellow accuses O’Brien of assuming “the role of public agitator for the company’s demise,” referring to some of his social media posts, which it describes as “false, unconstructive and irresponsible.”

“Notwithstanding Yellow’s repeated approaches to the Union and Mr. O’Brien to meet and negotiate, and its repeated offers to accommodate the Union’s purported demands, Mr. O’Brien has refused to permit any cooperation or negotiations, choosing instead to direct profanities at Yellow and its executives and even to gloat at Yellow’s impending demise.”

Yellow alleges the union has breached the collective-bargaining agreement by rejecting the proposed changes and not agreeing to schedule a required hearing on the matter. It says union leadership is blocking the request as a means to “extract wage increases” and that it “had no right to require wage increases from Yellow as a condition of approving CHOPS [a change of operations proposal].”

Yellow said it agreed to “serial extra-contractual demands” throughout the negotiating process, including the union’s demand for a vote by membership, which Yellow said was later refused by union leadership. Instead, Yellow claims union officials insisted the NMFA would have to be reopened to proceed with any changes and that Yellow would have to “come up with sufficient financial improvements” in those negotiations.

“Yellow Corp.’s claims of breach of contract by the Teamsters are unfounded and without merit,” O’Brien said in a news release. “For a company that loves to cry poor, Yellow’s executives seem to have no problem paying a team of high-priced lawyers to wage a public relations battle — all in a failed attempt to mask their incompetence.”
Yellow just weeks away from running out of cash

The lawsuit said Yellow could run out of cash as soon as mid-July, at which time its creditors “will likely force the Company into liquidation.”

The company reported total liquidity of $168 million at the end of the first quarter, which was down $109 million from the year-ago period. However, that change included a $98 million reduction in debt. Cash flow from operations was $13 million in the period.

GOP senator challenges Teamsters boss to MMA fight for charity

Sarah Fortinsky

THE HILL
Mon, June 26, 2023 

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) challenged the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters on Monday to an MMA fight for charity, reigniting the animosity between them that was on full display during a viral moment at a Senate hearing in March.

“An attention-seeking union Teamster boss is trying to be punchy after our Senate hearing. Okay, I accept your challenge. MMA fight for charity of our choice. Sept 30th in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I’ll give you 3 days to accept,” Mullin wrote in a tweet Monday.

Mullin, a former mixed martial arts fighter, responded to a tweet from union president Sean O’Brien, who called Mullin a “clown” and a “fraud” and challenged him to “quit the tough guy act” and find him “any place, anytime.”

“Greedy CEO who pretends like he’s self made. In reality, just a clown & fraud. Always has been, always will be. Quit the tough guy act in these senate hearings. You know where to find me. Anyplace, Anytime cowboy,” O’Brien tweeted several days ago.

In O’Brien’s tweet, he appeared to be mocking Mullin for his height, attaching a photo of Mullin using a step behind a podium and circling the step beneath Mullin’s feet in the photo.

At a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing in March, O’Brien told Mullin — who owned nonunion plumbing companies before selling his majority shares in 2021 — that Mullin was “out of line” for accusing him and other union leaders of “sucking the paycheck” out of union workers to pay for what Mullin described as the union leaders’ “exorbitant” salaries.

Mullin pushed back saying, “Don’t tell me I’m out of line,” and, “You need to shut your mouth.”

The Hill reported O’Brien’s salary was roughly $193,000 in 2019; Mullin, meanwhile had a net worth $31.6 million and $75.6 million in 2020, according to the newspaper Tulsa World.

The latest development, however, seems to come from a moment in a more recent hearing, when Mullin was making a similar argument about union bosses taking money from workers. He mentioned O’Brien as an example, though Mullin appeared to forget O’Brien’s name, calling him O’Malley instead.

“Hey, JohnWayne Mullin..First off, my name’s O’Brien not O’Malley. Secondly, you should get your facts straight because every time you speak in these hearings you’re full of sh*t. The more you run your mouth, the more you show the American public what a moron you are,” O’Brien responded in a tweet with a clip of the hearing.

He followed up with two more tweets directed at Mullin: one to which Mullin responded by challenging O’Brien to a fight and another tweet that said, “What have you done for working people in OK @SenMullin? Last time I checked, your state ranks near the bottom in median wages. Sounds like you need to shut your mouth & get to work for the people of your state. They deserve action, not your phony “man of the people” spiel.”

Yellow continues to record net losses and booked a 100.8% operating ratio (operating expenses expressed as a percentage of revenue) in the first quarter.

It has $1.3 billion in debt that comes due in 2024, with total obligations of $1.5 billion outstanding when including lease financing obligations.

The lawsuit showed Yellow also reached out to the White House and Sen. Bernie Sanders “to no avail” in efforts to broker a deal.

The U.S. Treasury made a $700 million COVID-relief loan to the company in July 2020. That made the U.S. government the largest shareholder in Yellow as it now holds 30.1% of its outstanding stock. That loan matures Sept. 30, 2024.

The company recently asked to defer health and welfare and pension contribution payments for the months of July and August to preserve cash. However, there has been no update on that request.

“By stonewalling Yellow’s implementation of Phase 2, the Union has knowingly and intentionally triggered a death spiral for Yellow,” the lawsuit said. “The harm it has caused and continues to cause Yellow was foreseeable and serious, and the Union has failed and continues to fail to take any reasonable precautions to protect Yellow’s economic interests.”

“The lawsuit by Yellow Corp. is a blatant attempt to undermine the rights of workers and discredit the Teamsters. The Teamsters are fully prepared to defend the union’s position vigorously and utilize all available legal resources to challenge the meritless accusations put forth by Yellow Corp.,” the Teamsters notice said.

Shares of YELL were down 28% at 11:13 a.m. on Tuesday compared to the S&P 500, which was up 0.3%. Shares of other LTL carriers were up between 3% and 7% at the time as investors contemplated Yellow’s potential demise.

Striking Machinists to vote on a new contract proposal from Spirit AeroSystems


Travis Heying/The Wichita Eagle
2
Matthew Kelly
Updated Tue, June 27, 2023

Striking Machinists will vote Thursday on a new four-year contract proposal with Spirit AeroSystems that union leaders say they strongly recommend.

“The parties have reached a tentative agreement with the unanimous support of the entire Local 839 bargaining committee,” International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said in a Wednesday afternoon statement.

“This agreement addresses our members’ concerns with substantial wage increases, maintaining the CORE healthcare plan benefits that the membership insisted on, and includes no mandatory overtime.”

Last week, 79% of membership rejected Spirit’s initial contract offer and 85% voted to strike, prompting the company to cease production. Workers started picketing Saturday.

The new offer would preserve workers’ existing healthcare benefits, including prescription coverage.

The new proposal also includes a guaranteed 20% wage increase over four years compared to 16% in the rejected offer, and raises the maximum yearly cost-of-living adjustment from 2.5% to 3.5%. It also specifies that there will be no mandatory overtime work on weekends. The rejected proposal allowed mandatory overtime on Saturdays.

Workers will receive a $3,000 cash signing bonus if the contract is ratified Thursday. It would be the first new contract for Spirit employees in 13 years.

“We listened closely and worked hard in our talks over the last several days to further understand and address the priorities of our IAM-represented employees,” Spirit CEO Tom Gentile said in a news release. “We believe this new offer is fair and competitive and recognizes the contributions of our employees covered under this proposed agreement, enabling our ability to meet the growing needs of our customers and deliver value for our investors.”

Voting will take place at Hartman Arena in Park City.

25 million-year-old 'slasher' dolphin with weird teeth discovered in museum collection


Kristin Hugo
Updated Tue, June 27, 2023

The skull of the ancient dolphin Nihohae matakoi, which had jutting out teeth at the end of its snout, on a black background

The skull of the ancient dolphin Nihohae matakoi, which had jutting out teeth at the end of its snout, on a black background

A bizarre predatory dolphin that lived 25 million years ago and had long, sharp teeth jutting straight out from its snout has been discovered in a museum collection in New Zealand.

The toothy animal lived during the late Oligocene epoch (34 million to 23 million years ago). Scientists described the extinct dolphin from a near-complete skull found in a cliff face in New Zealand's South Island in 1998. They named the species Nihohae matakoi, from Maori words meaning "slashing teeth, face sharp."

Ambre Coste, a researcher at the University of Otago in New Zealand and lead author of a study on the dolphin, had noticed the strange skull in the collection and realized how well preserved and complete it was. "That's what made this skull so interesting," she told Live Science.

The skull, which is around 2 feet (60 centimeters) long, has regular, vertical teeth in the part of the jaw closer to the face, and flat, long teeth closer to the snout. These longer teeth, measuring between 3.1 and 4.3 inches (8 to 11 cm) seemed to jut out almost horizontally.

The flat teeth also don’t interlock, so the mouth is “nothing that would catch a fish,” said Coste.

Close examination of the teeth showed very little wear and tear, suggesting it is unlikely the animal was rooting around in the sand for food.

So what were these spade-like teeth for? To find out, the researchers considered the behavior of modern animals that have teeth jutting out from their faces: sawfish.

illustration showing a prehistoric dolphin with slashing, jutting out teeth chasing squid

Sawfish (Pristidae) are rays with snouts that look like long, flat chainsaws. According to a 2012 study in the journal Current Biology, juvenile sawfish "thrash" at food by hitting them with their teeth. "They just whack their heads back and forth," Coste said. "And that will injure or stun and kill that sort of prey, so then it’s easier to go and slurp it up."

The researchers believe N. matakoi may have done the same. This idea is supported by N. matakoi's cervical vertebrae, or neck bones, which were also part of the museum collection. Unlike many modern dolphins, these neck bones weren’t fused, meaning the animal had a bigger range of motion in its neck than many modern dolphins. This greater range of movement would likely have helped the dolphins to thrash their prey to death.

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Because there wasn’t much wear on N. matakoi’s teeth, the scientists suspect the dolphins didn’t eat fish with hard bones or scales. Instead, the animals would likely have eaten soft-bodied animals like squids and octopuses.

It’s also possible the teeth had some sexual or social function, although this would be difficult to test, the study said.

The team said the use of these strange jutting teeth should be investigated further to understand why they evolved — and why teeth like this keep appearing in different groups of animals.

The study was published June 14 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Tooth analysis confirms the megalodon - a huge ancient shark - was warm-blooded


An illustration shows the large extinct shark megalodon, Otodus megalodon, preying on a seal

Tue, June 27, 2023 
By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The megalodon, a huge shark that was the scourge of the ancient oceans and is a star in modern movie theaters, is named for its "large tooth" - and for good reason. Its serrated teeth - up to about 7 inches long (18 cm) - could tear through any prey in the deep blue sea.

Those teeth now are providing a fuller understanding of this extinct predator, with an analysis of the mineral makeup of their enamel-like tissue confirming that megalodon was warm-blooded - a trait scientists suspect contributed both to its tremendous success and eventual downfall.

Researchers estimated that megalodon, which reached at least 50 feet (15 meters) and possibly 65 feet (20 meters) long while hunting marine mammals including whales, boasted an overall average body temperature of about 81 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius) and could keep it at about 13 degrees F (7 degrees C) above that of the surrounding seawater.

This may have made megalodon a more dynamic predator - a strong swimmer able to digest food in an energetically efficient manner and, importantly, tolerate colder water, letting it broaden its range to nearly worldwide.

Most fish are cold-blooded - ectothermic - with body temperatures matching the surrounding water. But a few are warm-blooded - endothermic - generating their own body heat. Examples include certain sharks including the largest modern one, the great white.

"The only comparable living species today in terms of both diet and body temperature are the great white shark and, to a lesser extent, the mako shark. Though, as shown in our study, megalodon was quite a bit warmer than both of these modern apex predators, which makes megalodon unique," said geochemist and paleoclimatologist Michael Griffiths of William Paterson University in New Jersey, lead author of the research published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The study found that megalodon, while warm-blooded, had a lower body temperature than whales.

"One theory is that they were regionally endothermic - that some parts of their body were warmer than other parts, whereas body temperature is higher and more uniform across the body in most large mammals," UCLA atmospheric and oceanic scientist and study co-author Robert Eagle said.

Megalodon, perhaps the largest shark of all time, appeared about 23 million years ago, then disappeared about 3.6 million years ago amid declining ocean temperatures and sea levels.

Warm-bloodedness could have been useful for megalodon in cooling waters.

"Yet, the fact that the species became extinct suggests the probable vulnerability - or the cost - of being warm-blooded because warm-bloodedness requires constant high food intake to sustain high metabolism," paleobiologist and study co-author Kenshu Shimada of DePaul University in Chicago said.

"It is quite possible that there was a shift in the marine ecosystem due to the climatic cooling that caused the sea level to drop, altering the habitats with the populations of the types of food megalodon depended on, such as marine mammals, possibly becoming scarce, leading to the extinction of megalodon," Shimada added.

Scientists previously had suspected megalodon's warm-bloodedness but the study provided the first empirical evidence. The researchers analyzed geochemical characteristics in fossil megalodon teeth to determine the temperature at which minerals in enamel-like tissue formed - an indicator of body temperature.

After being overshadowed for decades in popular culture by the great white - think the 1975 blockbuster "Jaws" and its endless progeny - megalodon is now in the spotlight thanks to the 2018 film "The Meg" and its upcoming sequel "Meg 2: The Trench."

"Megalodon is primarily represented only by teeth and a handful of vertebral specimens in the fossil record," Shimada said. "Contrary to novels and movies that portray megalodon as a super-sized, monstrous shark, the fact is that we still don't even know exactly how it looked or how it lived. This is exactly why the 'science of Megalodon' continues to be an exciting academic field."

(Reporting by Will Dunham, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)

Humans approaching limits of ‘survivability’ as sweltering heatwaves engulf parts of Asia


Rhea Mogul

CNN
Updated Mon, June 26, 2023 

Heavy showers blanketed northern India over the weekend, offering some much needed respite from a blistering heatwave that ravaged the region. But with mercury levels expected to remain high in other areas, the soaring heat has highlighted how millions in the world’s most populous nation are among the most vulnerable to the effects of the climate crisis.

The weekend downpour in Uttar Pradesh was a welcome change for the northern state of 220 million after temperatures in some areas soared to 47 degrees Celsius (116 Fahrenheit) last week, sickening hundreds with heat-related illnesses.

On Sunday, temperatures dropped acutely in Lucknow to around 32 degrees Celsius (87 Fahrenheit), as the capital, along with other cities, experienced the first rain during this year’s monsoon season. Video broadcast on local television showed people getting soaked in the rain and commuters navigating waterlogged roads.

Commuters out in the light rain on the Sector 21 road, on June 25, 2023 in Noida, India. - Sunil Ghosh/Hindustan Times/Shutterstock

The rain in Uttar Pradesh is likely to continue this week, bringing cooler temperatures to the region. But in the neighboring state of Bihar, unrelenting heat has extended into its second week, forcing schools to shutter until Wednesday.

At least 44 people have died from heat-related illness across the state in recent weeks, a senior health official told CNN, but the number could be much higher as authorities struggle to accurately assess how many people have died from heatstroke.

Temperatures are expected to slightly cool over the coming days, according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), however experts say the climate crisis is only going to cause more frequent and longer heatwaves in the future, testing India’s ability to adapt.

Commuters pass through a heavily waterlogged stretch of road on June 25, 2023. - Sunil Ghosh/Hindustan Times/Shutterstock

“India has a history of dealing with heat… There are going to be millions affected,” said Dr. Chandni Singh, Senior Researcher at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements, adding the number of deaths that will be result from staggering heat depends on how prepared health systems are to deal with it.

“If health systems aren’t functioning, when you don’t have adequate emergency services, it will lead to (more deaths),” she said. “But what we know for certain is we are going to be approaching limits to survivability by mid-century.”

India is not the only country in the region to experience such sweltering heat in recent weeks.

Temperatures in northeast China are expected to remain high in the coming days, with mercury levels rising above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in certain cities, according to its meteorological observatory.

In Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, temperatures soared to 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) last week before weekend rain brought some relief to the region.

And studies warn the impact of extreme heat could be devastating.

Prolonged heat

India often experiences heatwaves during the summer months of May and June, but in recent years, they have arrived earlier and become more prolonged.

Last April, India experienced a heatwave which saw temperatures in capital New Delhi go beyond 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) for seven consecutive days. In some states, the heat closed schools, damaged crops and put pressure on energy supplies, as officials warned residents to remain indoors and keep hydrated.

India is among the countries expected to be worst affected by the climate crisis, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), potentially affecting 1.4 billion people nationwide.

And experts say the the cascading effects of this will be devastating.

A study published in April by the University of Cambridge said heatwaves in India are putting “unprecedented burdens” on India’s agriculture, economy and public health systems, stalling efforts to reach its development goals.

“Long-term projections indicate that Indian heatwaves could cross the survivability limit for a healthy human resting in the shade by 2050,” the study said. “They will impact the labor productivity, economic growth, and quality of life of around 310 - 480 million people. Estimates show a 15% decrease in outdoor working capacity during daylight hours due to extreme heat by 2050.”

Singh said India has already taken steps to mitigate the impacts of high temperatures, including altering working hours for some outdoor workers and increasing heat education.

But the effects of extreme heat will impact our environment, energy consumption and eco-systems, she warned.

“Typically in a heatwave, you also see related water scarcity and droughts. You see the failure of the electricity grid. These risks start stressing the entire system,” she said. “Crop productivity will get affected. There will be huge impacts on other animals. When we come up with heat reduction plans, these are all things that are important to remember.”

Extremes of weather

India’s heatwave in the north came as heavy rain battered the country’s northeast, with pre-monsoon rain in Assam state triggering landslides and heavy flooding.

Nearly half a million people have been affected after heavy showers battered the region, turning roads into rivers and submerging entire villages. The rain in Assam came one week after after tropical cyclone Biparjoy hit India’s west coast, ripping trees and toppling electricity poles.

Elsewhere in the region, Pakistan also saw heavy rain in capital Islamabad over the weekend, bringing some relief from the high temperatures the week prior.

The rain may cause urban flooding in key cities, the country’s weather forecasting center said, advising farmers to manage their crops and encouraging travelers to remain cautious.

A woman cools herself on a misting fan as she waits for a table outside a popular local restaurant during a heatwave on June 23, 2023 in Beijing, China.

 - Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

China is expected to see soaring temperatures across several cities, including capital Beijing.

Last week, Beijing’s temperature soared above 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 degrees Fahrenheit), setting a new record for the capital’s hottest day in June.

According to the country’s meteorological observatory, Beijing, Tianjin, Heibei, Shandong will “continue to be baked by high temperatures.”

CNN’s Tara Subramaniam contributed reporting

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Texas’s nighttime temperatures are a symptom of a new, more dangerous kind of heat wave

Rachel Ramirez

CNN
Updated Tue, June 27, 2023

A brutal heat wave is expanding across Texas and the South this week, impacting millions of Americans with triple-digit temperatures and extreme humidity that is cranking up the heat index, making it feel hotter than 110 degrees in some of the region’s most populous cities.

But forecasters are warning that there is a more dangerous aspect to this heat wave, and one that is becoming more common because of the climate crisis: overnight temperatures are not cooling down enough, offering little reprieve from the oppressive heat — particularly for people who don’t have access to air conditioning.

The National Weather Service highlighted the insidious nature of this week’s heat wave in a statement on Monday, when forecasters at the Weather Prediction Center noted “there may be more danger than a typical heat event, due to the longevity of near-record or record high nighttime lows and elevated heat index readings.”

Overnight temperature records are expected to far outpace daytime records this week. Around 90 afternoon high-temperature records could be broken across the South, from Texas to the Mississippi Valley and parts of Florida, according to data from the National Weather Service.

But overnight temperatures will also stay abnormally high, with potentially 180 nighttime records broken over the next seven days.

Hotter nights are a consequence of the climate crisis, scientists have warned. On average, nights are warming faster than days in most of the US, according to the 2018 National Climate Assessment.

“We think it’s because as the days grow warmer, there is more moisture in the air that traps the heat,” Lisa Patel, the executive director of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, told CNN. “During the day, that moisture reflects the heat, but at night, it traps the heat in.”

Increasing nighttime heat is even more common in cities because of the urban heat island effect, in which metro areas are significantly hotter than their surroundings.

Dallas, for example, is set to go six consecutive days without seeing temperatures drop below 80 degrees Fahrenheit overnight — a June record for the city.

Areas with a lot of asphalt, concrete, buildings and freeways absorb more of the sun’s heat than areas with parks, rivers and tree-lined streets. At night, when temperatures are supposed to cool down, the retained heat is released back into the air, said Kristie Ebi, a climate and health expert at the University of Washington.

Areas with a lot of green space – with grass and trees that reflect sunlight and create shade – are cooler on summer’s hottest days.

Texas resident drinks water while working security outside in Arlington, Texas, on Monday. - LM Otero/AP

“Many cities put together cooling shelters, but people have to know where they are, how to get to them and what hours they operate,” Ebi told CNN, noting that city officials need to rethink urban planning to consider climate change.

“It’s going to take a while for trees to grow, but we need tree planting programs focusing on places that are particularly vulnerable — making sure that city planning takes into account that we’re heading into a much warmer future.”

Houston has had nine days far this month that haven’t dropped below 80 degrees — nearly double what’s typical for June. This has only happened two other times in the city’s records.

Nighttime should be when our bodies are given a break from the heat, Patel said. But with climate change, that’s becoming less likely to happen. A recent study found that heat-related deaths could increase six-fold by the end of the century due to warmer nighttime temperatures, unless planet-warming pollution is significantly curbed.

Researchers have also warned the climate crisis is already affecting people’s ability to sleep. A study published last month found that people living in warmer climates lose more sleep for each degree of temperature increase.

“We all know what it’s like to try to fall asleep on a hot night — it’s uncomfortable,” Patel said. “We often lose sleep. It is estimated that by the end of the century, we could lose about two days of sleep per year, and it will be worse for people without access to air conditioning.”

Patel explains that at its most extreme, when a human body does not get the chance to recover — typically at night — heat stress can progress to heat stroke, which is associated with confusion, dizziness and passing out.

And while this can happen to anyone, she said the impacts are more amplified on the elderly, people with chronic underlying health conditions, and young children, particularly infants. Heat waves that go on for several days tend to be associated with more deaths as the body can no longer keep itself cool.

“Living through a heat wave during the day can be like running a race,” Patel said. “We need a cool break to recover and recuperate, and when nighttime temperatures don’t drop, we don’t get that critical time we need to relieve the stress on our bodies from being overheated during the day.”

CNN’s Brandon Miller, Monica Garrett and Taylor Ward contributed to this report.

Climate change causes a mountain peak frozen for thousands of years to collapse

Aimee Gabay
Updated Mon, June 26, 2023 

the remains of the peak of a mountain in the swiss alps , with snow covered sides and a landslide in the center

Part of a Swiss mountain's summit has collapsed, sending more than 3.5 million cubic feet (100,000 cubic meters) of rock crashing into the valley below. The incident was likely a result of thawing permafrost — and scientists have warned similar events are to be expected as climate change causes ancient frozen ground to degrade.

The incident occurred on June 11 after an extensive period of high temperatures in the country. Videos reveal the sudden collapse of Fluchthorn's summit, an almost 11,155-foot (3,400 meters) mountain in the Silvretta Alps, on the border of Switzerland and Austria.

"Half of the summit was torn away by the demolition," mountain rescuer Riccardo Mizio told Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung (translated), adding the summit cross — a Christian cross marking the peak of a mountain — was missing. No one was injured by the rockfall.

The main peak of Fluchthorn lost approximately 330 feet (100 m). It fell in the western area of the peak, in the Futschöl Valley. The middle peak, which stands at 11,145 feet (3,397 m) is now the highest point of the Fluchthorn — meaning the mountain is now around 60 feet (19 m) shorter than it was before.

Fluchthorn sits among the Mischabel massif, the highest group of mountains in Switzerland. The cluster of 11 peaks all sit above 13,123 feet (4,000 m), including the tallest — the Dom — which is 14,911 feet (4,545 m) tall.

Related: Siberia's 'gateway to the underworld' megaslump is revealing 650,000 year-old secrets from its permafrost

Most mountain peaks above 8,202 feet (2,500 m) in the Alps are covered by permafrost, or permanently frozen ground, which runs deep into cracks in the solid rock, helping to glue them together. Without it, mountainsides can become unstable, leading to landslides and rockfalls.

Permafrost is strongly affected by climate change, as warm temperatures can cause ice in the cracks to unfreeze. Although this is not unusual in the summertime, when the layer above the permafrost tends to thaw for a short duration, more frequent heatwaves in the Alps are taking their toll, resulting in a gradual deepening of the summer thaw.

landscape picture showing a mountain after a huge landslide, with snow covering the peaks and deluge winding down the center

As the ground warms, permafrost thaw is expected to destabilize more rocks across the Alps, leading to more frequent landslides and rockfalls. "The bigger the size of the event, and in this case it was big, the deeper the thaw must have been," said Jan-Christoph Otto, a geologist at the University of Salzburg.

"This mountain peak has been frozen for probably thousands of years," Otto told Live Science. Due to a delay in climate change reaching deeper layers of rock, "the mountain peak failure at Fluchthorn is most likely the result of extreme temperatures last summer or fall," he added.

In the Alps, atmospheric temperatures have risen significantly over the past few decades. According to the Swiss Meteorological Service, temperatures in the Alps are warming at around 0.5 degrees Fahrenheit (0.3 degrees Celsius) per decade — around twice as fast as the global average.

Based on long-term data collected from sensors in the rockface, research shows that every 10 years the average temperature inside the rock has increased by 1.8 F (1 C).

While it's impossible to predict which peak or slope may fall next in the Alps, experts warn that similar rockfall events are to be expected in a warming world. Otto said there are hundreds of mountains in the Alps where permafrost is present. "Considering the ongoing temperature increase in the Alps, more events are probable," he said.

SPACE WEATHER

The sun's activity could peak 2 years early, frying satellites and causing radio blackouts by the end of this year, experts say


Jessica Orwig,Morgan McFall-Johnsen
Mon, June 26, 2023 

A solar plasma "waterfall" was spotted on the sun recently. More odd solar phenomena has been seen recently as the sun nears a peak of activity.Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau

The sun is becoming more active and may reach peak activity sooner than expected.


Solar maximum was predicted to happen in 2025, but sunspot activity has changed that.


An unusual burst of sunspots this year suggests solar maximum could hit by the end of 2023.

The sun is growing more active, which is expected. Our sun has an 11-year cycle where it increases and decreases in activity. What's unexpected is how soon it will reach the solar maximum.

We're currently approaching solar maximum, when the sun reaches peak activity, which experts have previously predicted should happen in 2025.

But the sun's recent behavior suggests solar maximum will hit sooner than expected — by the end of this year.

It's "going to peak earlier and it's going to peak higher than expected," a solar physicist at the University of College London, Alex James, told Live Science.
Why solar maximum is a threat to Earth

The solar maximum is a time when the sun's magnetic field is extremely weak, and that's not great news for Earth.

Normally, the solar magnetic field acts as a shield, constraining solar radiation and reducing the risk of potentially harmful events like solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs).

Solar flares and coronal mass ejections are examples of solar storms. When the storm breaks, it fires high-energy particles into space. On the off chance those particles strike Earth, they can cause a lot of damage.

An animation of the solar wind shows high-energy particles streaming from the sun towards Earth.NASA

For example, already this year a powerful solar flare caused widespread radio blackouts that disrupted high-frequency radio signals in North America, Central America, and South America.

In the past, powerful solar storms have surged the Quebec power grid, causing blackouts that lasted up to eight hours. Solar storms have also been linked to exploding sea mines and destroyed Starlink satellites.

Why experts think solar maximum will hit soon

When the sun's magnetic field is weak, its surface gets a lot more interesting to look at.

For example, the solar surface develops temporary black blemishes called sunspots, which are regions where the magnetic field is especially strong in one area. This chokes the flow of hot fresh gas from the sun's interior to the surface, cooling that region and making it appear black.

Sunspots, like the one shown here are cooler than their surroundings, which is why they appear black. But don't be misled, the typical temperature of a sunspot is 7600 degrees Fahrenheit. NASA Goddard on YouTube

Meanwhile, the powerful magnetism behind the sunspot can brew eruptions.

So as the sun grows more active, and its magnetic fields throb and tangle more wildly, scientists expect more sunspots and more of the solar flares and CMEs that can erupt from them.

Therefore, by monitoring the number and frequency of sunspots, scientists can track the solar cycle and its progress toward maximum activity.

In 2020, a national panel of scientists issued a forecast that the sun's current cycle would reach its maximum in 2025 with a peak of roughly 115 sunspots.

The sun has more sunspots during solar maximum.NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory/Joy Ng

But ever since then, sunspots have been outstripping those predictions. January saw over 140 sunspots, when no more than 92 were predicted, according to a database of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. May brought nearly 140 sunspots again.

Solar flares have also been growing more frequent and more powerful year by year. An unexpected "stealth" CME washed over Earth on March 24 and created a historically powerful geomagnetic storm, pushing the aurora borealis as far south as Arizona.

An array of other unusual solar phenomena also point to an early solar maximum: a vortex on the sun's north pole, a plasma "waterfall," a tornado-like twisting prominence, and giant "holes" forming in the sun's outer atmosphere.

The James Webb Space Telescope found a molecular building block of life hiding in the Orion Nebula


Natalie Musumeci, Morgan McFall-Johnsen
Tue, June 27, 2023 

Images from the James Webb Space Telescope show a part of the Orion Nebula where methyl cation was detected in a young star system, shown in the lower right segment.

ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb), and the PDRs4All ERS Team

The James Webb Space Telescope detected a key carbon molecule in space for the first time ever.


The methyl cation, or CH3+, molecule was found in a young star system in the Orion Nebula.


The discovery reveals the chemical processes that could give rise to alien life.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has detected a key carbon molecule in space for the first time: methyl cation (pronounced cat-eye-on).

The methyl cation, or CH3+, molecule can promote chemical reactions that form more complex carbon molecules — crucial building blocks for life.

Scientists have theorized that methyl cation could lay the foundations for organic chemistry, and possibly life, across the universe.

But nobody had detected the molecule beyond our solar system until scientists pointed the Webb telescope at a young star system in the Orion Nebula, a giant star-forming region located 1,350 light-years from Earth.

A wide shot of the Orion Nebula, revealing it's iconic shape.

Eric Teske/Stellar Neophyte

There, in a ring of gas, dust, and rock orbiting a star — material that may someday coalesce into a planet — Webb spotted the first alien methyl cation known to science.

"While we have hypothesized for some time methyl cation existed in the universe, it was purely theoretical until now," Els Peeters, an astrophysicist at Western University, an expert in interstellar molecules and star formation, and a member of the team that made this discovery, said in a press release.

"We can only now prove its existence thanks to the awesome capabilities of the James Webb telescope. This is a remarkable discovery," she added.
Webb's sensitivity to light helps it detect new molecules

An artist's impression of the James Webb Space Telescope.NASA

The Orion Nebula is visible to the unaided eye under very dark skies, but it takes a powerful telescope to identify the molecules that make it.

While scientists have used other telescopes, including Hubble, to study the Orion Nebula, only Webb has the power to detect methyl cation. That's because Webb analyzes wavelengths of a type of electromagnetic radiation called infrared light coming from distant objects in space.

That's a treasure trove of information for astronomers, because each chemical element emits and absorbs light at specific wavelengths. By picking apart the infrared light shining from a star or nebula, Webb can tell scientists exactly what chemicals are present there. That's how it can detect water vapor, for example, or sand-like particles in a distant planet's atmosphere.

An international team of scientists spotted the signature of methyl cation in the wavelengths Webb captured from this distant star in the Orion Nebula. They published their findings in the journal Nature on Monday.

"This detection not only validates the incredible sensitivity of Webb but also confirms the postulated central importance of CH3+ in interstellar chemistry," Marie-Aline Martin-Drumel, a researcher at the University of Paris-Saclay and another co-author on the paper, said in a NASA press release.

Destructive UV radiation may actually help the early chemistry of life

The young star system in the center of this image contains a protoplanetary disk named d203-506.

ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb), and the PDRs4All ERS Team

Some scientists wouldn't have expected to find methyl cation in the ring of material, or "protoplanetary disk," where Webb spotted the critical carbon molecule.

That's because, according to NASA, the region is being constantly bombarded with powerful UV radiation, which is known to destroy complex organic molecules.

The discovery of methyl cation there suggests that UV radiation may actually be the source of energy needed to form this particular molecule in the first place. Then, eons later, the methyl cation could help form the more UV-sensitive complex carbon molecules needed for life.

That could explain how the building blocks of life appeared on our planet. Long ago, when Earth was just a protoplanetary disk, it too was bombarded with heavy UV radiation.

"This clearly shows that ultraviolet radiation can completely change the chemistry of a protoplanetary disk. It might actually play a critical role in the early chemical stages of the origins of life," said lead author of the study, Olivier Berné of the French National Centre for Scientific Research in Toulouse.

TONGA-HUNGA
Powerful volcanic eruption spurs events that have never been seen before


Powerful volcanic eruption spurs events that have never been seen before

Cheryl Santa Maria
Mon, June 26, 2023

On January 15, 2022, the world witnessed a historic volcanic eruption at Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai, a submarine volcano in the southern Pacific Ocean, about 65 km north of Tongatapu, Tonga's main island.

This eruption, the largest since 1883, caused a series of extraordinary occurrences, including a tsunami that reached as far as Japan and the Americas and shot a mind-boggling plume of water vapour into Earth’s stratosphere – enough to fill more than 58,000 Olympic-size swimming pools.

“We’ve never seen anything like it,” Luis Millán, an atmospheric scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California who led a study analyzing the volcano's water vapour, said in August 2002.

The sheer power of the eruption also broke several lightning records, documented in new paper appearing in the journal Geophysical Letters.

NASA - ash plume

An image from Jan. 16, 2022, shows the ash plume from the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption that occurred the day before. An astronaut took a photograph of the plume from the International Space Station. (Photo and caption: NASA)

Unprecedented heights

The volcanic explosion launched an ash plume 40 km higher than typical thunderstorms, creating the ideal conditions for high-altitude lightning. Researchers documented the highest lightning flash rates ever observed, surpassing even those induced by thunderstorms.

Lightning was documented at stratospheric altitudes, ranging from 19 to 28 km, where the air pressure is typically too low to support lightning generated by thunderstorms.

The study authors believe the powerful plume may have created a localized, higher pressure zone, enabling the eruption-induced high-altitude lightning.

NASA - ash plume
NASA satellites captured the eruption on January 15, 2022. (NASA)

Never-before-seen lightning intensity

At its peak intensity, the eruption generated 2,615 lightning flashes per minute, lasting for approximately five minutes. This replaces the previous record set in 1999, where 993 flashes per minute occurred over the southern United States.
Impressive "lightning holes"

Following the eruption, the ash plume rapidly expanded outward in circular ripples, known as gravity waves. These waves triggered the formation of donut-shaped rings of lightning that surfed along their crests, with some of the rings measuring up to 280 km in diameter.

“The scale of these lightning rings blew our minds," Dr. Alexa Van Eaton, a volcanologist at the United States Geological Survey, said in a statement.

"We’ve never seen anything like that before, there’s nothing comparable in meteorological storms. Single lightning rings have been observed, but not multiples, and they’re tiny by comparison.”
A unique observation

A team of researchers, led by the United States Geological Survey, utilized advanced sensors that measure light and radio waves to map the eruption. This type of volcanic event, a phreatoplinian, occurs only when magma erupts through the water.

This is the first time scientists have had the opportunity to observe and measure a phreatoplinian eruption using modern-day technology.

“It was like unearthing a dinosaur and seeing it walk around on four legs. It sort of takes your breath away," Van Eaton said.

“These findings demonstrate a new tool we have to monitor volcanoes at the speed of light and help inform ash hazard advisories to aircraft."

RELATED: Lightning shoots from Philippine volcano
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Header image: View from the summit of Hunga Tonga - Hunga Ha'apai in June 2017. (Damien Grouille/Wikipedia) CC BY-SA 4.0