IN BRIEF

Lawyer: Nightclub case put off until December

A court appearance in a lawsuit accusing Caesars Palace and Forum Shops mall management of hassling customers of a nightclub with a predominantly black clientele was postponed until December, an attorney in the case said Thursday.

Plaintiffs' attorney Harold Gewerter says the case in federal court was continued from Thursday to Dec. 2. He didn't give a reason for the continuance.

Proprietors of Poetry nightclub and Chinois, which includes chef Wolfgang Puck among its owners, allege management at Caesars Palace and the Forum Shops are trying to suppress business at the club by using a gate to make its customers navigate through an alley and back hallways to enter. The plaintiffs say management is wary of attracting a largely black crowd to the mall at night.

Caesars and Forum Shops attorneys vehemently deny any racial motivation.

NEW YORK

American Express will cut 10 percent of staff

In a stark acknowledgment of the tough times ahead in the credit card industry, American Express Co. said Thursday that it plans to cut 7,000 jobs, or about 10 percent of its worldwide work force, in an effort to slash costs by $1.8 billion in 2009.

The New York-based credit card issuer -- which has reported four straight quarters of profit declines as an increasing number of consumers struggle to pay off debt -- said it is also suspending management-level salary increases next year and instituting a hiring freeze.

The job cuts will be across various business units, but will primarily focus on management positions, the company said.

American Express said it also plans to scale back investments in technology and marketing and business development, and streamline costs associated with some rewards programs.

DALLAS

Labor talks stalled for airline, workers

Labor talks between Southwest Airlines Co. and its ground workers have stalled over wages, and the union and company plan to seek federal mediation today.

The move is a setback for Southwest, the No. 1 carrier at McCarran International Airport.

Despite the breakdown, the union would have to meet several conditions of federal law that could take months before workers could go on strike. Union officials did not raise the prospect of a strike on Thursday.

The Transport Workers Union is seeking cost-of-living wage increases on behalf of 7,200 ground workers, including ramp and freight agents. Union officials said they aren't interested in stock options, which they got in a 2-year contract extension in 2006.

WASHINGTON

Feds OK Verizon's deal to purchase Alltel Corp.

The Justice Department on Thursday effectively gave Verizon Wireless the go-ahead to buy Alltel Corp. in a $28 billion deal that would create the nation's largest wireless carrier.

Verizon Wireless, a joint venture between Verizon Communications Inc. and Britain's Vodafone Group PLC, already has agreed to the government's condition that it sell assets in 22 states.

The Federal Communications Commission is slated to vote on the merger on Tuesday.

Treasury prices decline as stocks head higher

Treasury prices fell Thursday as stock indexes rebounded.

The 10-year note fell 0.84 points at 100.25 and yielded 3.97 percent, up from 3.86 percent.

The 30-year bond fell 1.56 points to 102.78 and yielded 4.33 percent, up from 4.24 percent.