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business Friday 24 June 2022
Gas prices sting U.S. workers who depend on their cars

By DEE-ANN DURBIN prices topped $4 per gal-
AP Business Writer lon. But this time he won’t
DETROIT (AP) — High gas be doing that because
prices have Wallace Reid employees have another
looking for a new career. option: working from home.
Reid, who drives for Uber “This is an unwelcome de-
and Lyft in New York, fills up velopment for those com-
his Lexus at least three times panies that are trying to
a week. He pays around get people back to the of-
$95 each time, about dou- fice,” Lewis said. “It is one
ble what he was paying more reasonable reason
last year. To make up for why those employees are
that, he’s driving more of- pushing back.”
ten, but he’s also applying Lewis has around 100 em-
for other jobs that wouldn’t ployees in Norwalk. Before
require his car. COVID, 85% of them were
“It’s more hours, more in the office at least two
stress,” he said. “New York days a week. Now, maybe
City is not an easy city to 25% of them are. Lewis —
work and it’s affecting our and many of his clients —
lives.” would like to see employ-
Reid isn’t alone. Millions of ees in the office more but
Americans who rely on their say gas prices are a huge
cars for work are changing Wallace Reid fuels his vehicle he drives to make a living using ride-share apps, Wednesday, June barrier.
their habits, signing up for 22, 2022, in the Queens borough of New York. Associated Press “If you are the company
carpools or even ditching that requires everyone to
their cars for bicycles as 10 houses each day and Nieto might do some trav- line is available?” come in all the time, you’re
gas prices recently hit $5 fills up her 2018 Mazda CX-3 eling in the RV she lives in in Jill Chapman, a senior per- a pariah,” he said.
per gallon for the first time almost every week. One re- Lytle, Texas. But that might formance consultant with Psychology professor Brian
ever. This week, it’s aver- cent fill-up cost her nearly not happen this year. She Insperity, a Texas-based Cesario used to live within
aging $4.95 per gallon na- $50. is struggling to fill the tank human resources and re- walking distance of the
tionwide, up from $3.06 per This month, she finally act- of her 2008 Ford Expedition cruitment company, said college where he teaches.
gallon a year ago, accord- ed. She contacted her cli- SUV so she can get to her gas prices and commute But last year, he moved 55
ing to AAA. ents and told them she was job at a T.J. Maxx distribu- lengths are increasingly a miles away to Hopewell
On Wednesday, President removing the 10% discount tion center in San Antonio, sticking point with job can- Junction, New York, so he
Joe Biden asked Congress she has always given to re- about 20 miles away. didates. Chapman said could afford a larger home
to suspend federal gas tax- peat customers. Nieto and her co-workers companies may want to for his growing family.
es for three months, which Shoemaker-Galloway, who trade tips on where gas is consider temporary bo- For those who must com-
would shave 18.4 cents per is also a children’s book cheapest. She sometimes nuses, incentives for public mute, there can be op-
gallon off the price of gas. author, said her customers carpools or fills her tank only transit or gas cards to help tions. On Tuesday, Uber
He also called on states to were understanding. But halfway, which still costs their employees. announced it was bringing
suspend their own gas tax- she worries that gas prices her more than $50. But she “A business owner needs back discounted shared
es. will cut into her business in feels lucky. to acknowledge that there rides in nine U.S. cities this
Biden’s push faces uphill other ways. A handful of colleagues on is stress associated with ris- summer, including New
odds in Congress. In the “The cost isn’t just impact- her shift, which ends at 2:30 ing gas prices,” Chapman York, Los Angeles and Chi-
meantime, gas is straining ing my bottom line,” she a.m., ride their bikes home said. cago.
budgets. said. “Because the price of in the dark. David Lewis, the CEO of Organizations that link car-
Jace Shoemaker-Galloway everything is so expensive, “It’s been a rough road,” Operations Inc., a Norwalk, poolers — like one run by
agonized over whether to people are cutting back she said. “If we lived in Connecticut-based human the Southeast Michigan
charge more for Paws and on non-essentials, which the city it would be easier, resources consulting com- Council of Governments
Whiskers Sitters, her pet- means pet-sitting and book could take the bus, but at pany, remembers handing in the Detroit area — say
sitting business in Macomb, sales.” the end of the shift at 2:30 out gas cards to his em- they are seeing significantly
Illinois. She visits as many as In a normal summer, Orvilia in the morning, what bus ployees in 2009 when gas more participants.q

Nike makes full exit from Russia after

suspending operations

By The Associated Press porations, has attempted are fully supporting our em-
Nike will fully shut down op- to avoid exposing employ- ployees while we respon-
erations in Russia, joining ees to hardship during a sibly scale down our op-
other international compa- complete withdrawal. erations over the coming
nies that have withdrawn The Russian newspaper months,” the sports apparel
from the country after its Vedomosti reported last maker said Thursday.
brutal invasion of Ukraine. month that Nike had end- McDonald’s and Star-
Nike Inc. suspended opera- ed its relationship with In- bucks, after suspending
tions three months ago at ventive Retail Group, its operations, also fully with-
all of its company-owned largest franchisee in the drew from Russia in recent The Nike logo hangs at a store in Miami Beach, Fla. on Aug. 8,
and operated stores in Rus- country. weeks.q 2017. Associated Press
sia but like other major cor- “Our priority is to ensure we