New Amazon facility to employ 1,500 in Alabama
A $325 million Amazon facility being built near Birmingham will initially employ 1,500 people fulfilling orders, and the workforce could swell even more, the online retailer and local officials said Friday.
A statement by the Seattle-based company said the 855,000-square foot facility would be located in Bessemer just west of Alabama's largest city. Workers will pack and ship small items to customers including books, household items and toys, the company said.
Jefferson County Commission President Jimmie Stephens told news outlets the operation could eventually employ as many as 3,000 people. Employees will receive full benefits and an average hourly wage of $14.65.
"By choosing to locate its Amazon Fulfillment Center here, Amazon is making the largest single private investment in the city of Bessemer's 131-year history," Mayor Kenneth Gulley said in a statement.
VW making global structural changes
The Volkswagen Group is pushing ahead with a structural realignment of its organization, with one lead brand assuming steering responsibility for a clearly defined region of the world.
The Volkswagen brand will assume responsibility for North America, South America and the Sub-Saharan region, for example.
Dr. Herbert Diess, CEO of the Group, said the company is distributing the responsibility "across several shoulders."
"This means that it will be possible to take decisions in a significantly more decentralized way in the future and the Group board of management will be able to concentrate on overarching strategic topics. This way, we will make Volkswagen faster, slimmer and more efficient," he said.
Alabama Power Co. eyes solar fee hike
Alabama Power Co. is seeking permission to raise fees on people with residential solar power systems even as it fights a complaint challenging the charges.
Al.com reports the utility has filed a request with the Public Service Commission to hike the fee by more than 8 percent to $5.42 per kilowatt.
Alabama Power says the fees cover the costs of having backup power available when solar panels aren't generating electricity. It says only 44 customers are paying the fees statewide.
But opponents say the charges are helping depress the solar power industry in Alabama. The Southern Environmental Law Center filed a complaint in April asking regulators to block the fees.
The average annual assessment for solar power amounts to about $325 currently.