European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 16, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday june 16, 1992 the stars and stripes Money matters today a tip trans world airlines will no longer serve passenger meals on Short flights after june. A we have elected to change our philosophy on food service on Short haul markets a flights of 549 Miles or less lasting an hour or an hour and a half a said Twa spokesman Don Fleming. The airline which is operating in bankruptcy court believes passengers would prefer a lower fare to a Sweet Roll and a cup of Coffee Fleming said in St. Louis. Passengers on All flights will still be Able to get soft drinks cocktails and such snacks As peanuts he said. Conversion rates following Are fixed rates at which Community banking facilities will sell foreign currencies to . Personnel for personal use through tuesday German mark.1.53 Rittah pound.1.90 dutch guilder.1.72 greek drachma .185.9213 note the rates above apply within the Host country. Figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar following arc Interbank rates that fluctuate and should be regarded As the approximate value of the . Dollar to foreign Curren Clos italian lira .1,188.10 turkish lira.6832.90 Spanish peseta .99.01 portuguese escudo.130.40 austrian Schilling .11.06 saudi rial.3.7501 Bahrain dinar.0.37675 Kuwait dinar.0.28975 norwegian Krona 6.1390 danish krona.6.0515 British pound.1.8564 German mark.1.5683 Swiss franc .1.4115 French franc.5.2850 dutch guilder.1.7705 belgian franc.32.30 Gold quote $343.00 an ounce Silver quota $4.13 an ounce . Gas prices up 24 in Survey los Angeles up pump prices nationwide jumped More than 2 cents a gallon during the past two weeks As seasonally higher demand for gasoline and higher refinery costs pushed up prices an Oil Industry analyst said sunday. A nationwide Survey of pump prices conducted june 12 found the average composite Price of gasoline was 128.94 cents a gallon up 2.05 cents Over the previous Survey conducted May 29. The composite Price is made up of All grades of Gas at self and full service pumps including tax. A the cause of the Price increases remain the seasonally regulated changes in refining of Gas to prevent smog in the Spring and summer and the greater consumption in Spring and summer a said Trilby Lundberg author of the Lundberg Survey. A both of these causes arc structured  Lundbergh a Survey of More than 13,000 service stations nationwide found prices Rose for nearly All grades of Gas. At self service pumps the Survey found regular unleaded Gas Selling for 115.49 cents Premium unleaded 132.44 and regular leaded 117.51. Auto Union chief talks Tough As workers fear Job cutbacks by Amy Harmon los Angeles times san Diego a United Auto workers president Owen Bicker warned the big three . Automakers that the Union May strike next year in response to what he contends Are efforts to fragment it. A do not forget it takes two to make peace but Only one to make War a bib or told the Union s National convention sunday. A be very very careful. Do not  Biebers Strong words come As the Union is reeling from setbacks including being forced to Call off a five month strike at Caterpillar inc. After the company threatened to permanently replace 12,000 striking workers. That decision is generally believed to have undercut the a awl a bargaining position As it Heads into 1993 Auto contract negotiations. Bieber 62, took an aggressive stance toward the Auto companies sunday As he sought to rally Union members. A do not mistake our deep and genuine commitment to improved Quality and workplace change for a willingness to accept any dumb idea you come up with in the name of a competitiveness a Quot Bieber said. But it will take More than rousing speeches and vows of Solidarity to lift the flagging spirits of the 2,300 Law delegates gathered in san Diego this week Many of whom say they arc More worried than Ever about Job Security. A we have delegates Here who Are not just concerned they re  said Law member Fred Lodge of los Angeles. At the pm plants he said a they go to work every Day with their lunch bags in their hands and they done to know whether  be around Long enough to cat  besides massive layoffs of aerospace workers who account for 9 percent of Law membership the Union has found itself squaring Oft against general motors corp., Caterpillar and its own locals. And while Bicker said sunday that the Union had not Given up its struggle with Caterpillar it suffered another defeat last week when the Senate blocked a Bill to ban the hiring of replacement workers during strikes. General motors announced plans in december to eliminate 54,000 jobs and close 21 plants by 1995. The Law has had to scramble to prevent civil wars among its locals As the automaker seeks concessions by pitting plants against each other with limited Success. Law membership has dropped from 1.5 million in 1979 to 860,000, a slide expected to continue throughout the decade. Bieber told delegates that getting a Democrat in the White House is crucial to reversing the Fate of organized labor. . Sues officers of seized a amp a Phoenix a the Federal government has filed a fraud and racketeering lawsuit against a failed Phoenix Thrift seeking More than $1 billion from about 5q officers and associates of the business. The Resolution Trust corp. Filed the lawsuit saturday in . District court the Day before a three year statute of limitations on civil lawsuits against Western savings and loan association was to expire. The Federal government seized Western savings on june 14, 1989, at an estimated $1.7 billion loss. The lawsuit charges westerns officers with fraud racketeering Gross negligence breach of fiduciary duty breach loyalty and breach of contract. 2f Sears denies repair scam questions probe s motives los Angeles apr Sears Roebuck amp co. Denied it bilked California customers through unnecessary Auto repairs and said the accusing Agency was grandstanding after being targeted for elimination by state lawmakers. The state department of consumer affairs seeks to revoke or suspend the Auto repair registration of All 72 Sears Auto shops in California. The department last week reported that an undercover probe by its Bureau of automotive repair found an average of $223 Worth of unnecessary work per car by Sears Auto shops a everybody should hold their fire and maintain a reasonably sceptical attitude toward these charges Quot said Sears lawyer Dirk Schenkkan. A bar and the department of consumer of a ii the lawsuit seeks $200 million in damages and asks that amount be tripled As allowed under Federal racketeering Law. It also seeks $200 million for negligence. The Federal Agency responsible for disposing of the assets of failed a amp is also seeks $245 million in damages from some past and present partners of a Law firm that represented Western. Defendants include the thrifts president Gary Driggs and his brother John Driggs the thrifts chairman. The racketeering charges Stem from Western savings Loans to a Developer and a financier according to the lawsuit. Western was founded in 1929 by Gary and John Driggs father and Grandfather. The Brothers controlled the Thrift for two decades and built it into the states second largest before Federal regulators forced them out of office in december 1988. The lawsuit alleges Gary and John Driggs accepted unreasonable salaries of More than 300,000 each in 1988, a year when Western posted More than $200 million in losses. Mike Hawkins an attorney for the Brothers denied they did anything wrong lie said Western savings a was not a High flying a amp a that arose after deregulation. It was run by two or three generations of one family that always got along with Federal  business fairs have a different Agenda  consumer affairs has been targeted by a bipartisan group of legislators seeking to make cuts in the face of i a lion shortfall for this fiscal year. A nearly $11 Bil a they Are desperately looking around for ways to justify themselves Quot Schenkkan said. Consumer affairs director Jim Conran said the investigation began in december 1990 after a near doubling of consumer complaints about the 106-year-old company a Auto shops. The Bureau of automotive repair sent undercover investigators 48 times to 33 Sears repair shops statewide. Agents used cars with systems that had been carefully assembled using new parts Given an aged look. Unneeded service and parts charges averaged $223, said Jim Schoning chief of the Bureau of automotive repair. I he largest overcharge was $585 the lowest was $22. Investigators took cars 38 times to 27 shops Between december 1990 and december 1991, resulting in overselling 90 percent of the time the state said. Ten More checks were made in january after Sears was told of the probe. The later checks found some overselling but of lesser amounts. Officials said employees were forced to meet sales quotas through a restructuring of wages and commissions that coerced them into wrongdoing. Sears denied the charges. A few Hundred More workers get the a in Boeing cutbacks from wire reports sea1tle a another 371 Boeing co. Workers in the Region have received Pink slips As the aerospace giant continued to reduce its work Force this year. Those losing their jobs Friday were among hundreds who got warning notices april 10 that they could be Laid off. The others found different jobs at Boeing or had already left the company. Another round of 60-Day warning notices will be issued later this month. The latest layoffs bring Boeing a total for the first half of 1992 to 1,525 in the Seattle area. Throughout the state Boeing has now eliminated about 3,000 jobs. Time Warner chief taking leave new York Steven j. Ross chairman and co chief executive officer of time Warner inc., is taking a leave of absence to resume treatment for prostate cancer the company said sunday. Gerald Levin who shares the chief executive s title and is Ross probable permanent successor will be in charge of running the entertainment conglomerate during Ross absence. In april securities analysis were told that Ross by was showing significant improvement alter chemotherapy r treatment and that he no longer showed evidence of a tumor but in a letter to 1-Cvin, Ross said i have been advised that i have not fully recuperated and must now resume a further course of  i he letter was released by time Warner. Levin 52, was named co chief  and president on feb.�?T20 to replace . Nicholas jr., a former heir apparent who unexpectedly quit in response to pressure from the time Warner Board. Nicholas had reportedly clashed with Ross Over several key policy issues