Bloomberg (11/16/12) Lorraine Woellert

Industrial production in the U.S. unexpectedly declined in October as Hurricane Sandy knocked out power in the Northeast. Output at factories, mines, and utilities dropped 0.4% last month after a revised 0.2% increase in September that was smaller than previously estimated, according to data released today by the U.S. Federal Reserve. Economists forecast a 0.2% gain, according to the Bloomberg survey median. The central bank said the storm cut total production by almost one percentage point.

89.3 KPCC (California) (11/15/12) Steven Cuevas

Striking employees at NFI Industries, a Riverside, CA, Walmart distribution center, claim some temporary workers have been denied rest breaks. The employees further claim they have to do their jobs with broken equipment, and when they speak out the company retaliates by firing them or cutting their hours. NFI spokeswoman Kathleen Hessert says the company determines temporary employees’ work hours based on the company’s work load.

“If they felt they were not being heard there are so many ways they could [address that],” Hessert adds. “The company president’s name and contact information has been posted within that facility so they could go to him directly. This company truly does go overboard to provide a good and safe work environment.”