The February consumer price index increased 0.4% from the previous month and 3.2% from a year before, with the annual figure coming in slightly ahead of economists' expectations of 3.1%. Core consumer prices increased 0.4% month-to-month and 3.8% from a year earlier, down from 3.9% in January but also above expectations of 3.7%.

As contract talks begin between employers and dockworkers at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports, the International Longshoremen's Association says it will call a strike if there is no resolution when the current contracts expire on September 30. The ILA hopes to emulate other unions' recent successes although conditions may have changed to favor the employers, as bottlenecks and supply chain problems have largely stabilized.

A Texas federal judge blocked the National Labor Relations Board's joint-employer rule stating it is invalid because it's too broad and violates federal law. In his decision, Judge J. Campbell Barker stated the rule “would treat virtually every entity that contracts for labor as a joint employer because virtually every contract for third-party labor has terms that impact, at least indirectly … essential terms and conditions of employment.”

Leaders must set the bar for customer service by resolving complex issues, taking actions that require prioritizing customer needs and challenges when making decisions, seeking feedback from customers and employees and showing empathy and understanding, writes Brian Hopkins. Internally, leaders should develop a framework that empowers employees to resolve customer issues and recognize their exceptional customer service, Hopkins writes.

The landscape for drone-delivery services in the US has significantly improved, with the Federal Aviation Administration granting several companies permission to operate beyond visual lines of sight. This regulatory shift has prompted an expansion of drone-delivery services by various retailers, restaurants and health care systems, with Amazon planning to launch its latest drone model in three states, Italy and the UK.

Most business-to-business buyers prefer to order directly from suppliers' websites, but many who have a bad experience with the web stores will switch suppliers for better results, according to a Sana Commerce survey. "Buyers now demand specific criteria like real-time pricing, stock level and product information for consistent adoption of B2B web stores as an integral part of their business," says CEO Sebastiaan Verhaar.

WritingBreeze's Olesia Filipenko outlines 17 criteria business-to-business marketers should include in their content briefs for writers. Among her tips are to give content writers information about the target audience, explain which stage of the customer journey the content should address and what outcomes you hope the content to drive.

National Association of Wholesale-Distributors President and CEO Eric Hoplin issued a statement Tuesday in response to the White House's 2025 budget proposal, calling the plan a "clear assault on Main Street businesses and the families they sustain." Hoplin said the budget contains several tax increases on small businesses, including wholesaler-distributors, and "threaten the ability of the industry, which already has tight profit margins, to continue adding jobs, expanding benefits to employees, or reinvesting in local communities."

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