BRIEFCASE HOSPITAL WORKERS VOTE TO JOIN UNION.

Byline: - Staff and Wire Services

BURBANK - The Service Employees International Union will represent more than 800 workers at the Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, union leaders announced Friday.

After a 457-292 vote, SEIU now represents licensed vocational nurses, radiology technologists, respiratory care practitioners, certified nursing assistants and housekeeping and food service staff. They join 600 registered nurses from the hospital, who organized under SEIU last September, and will form a bargaining committee in coming weeks to hammer out a contract.

Gas prices climb amid fears of war

War fears sent gasoline prices rising for the fourth consecutive week this week, driving them to levels not seen since summer 2001, the Automobile Club of Southern California reported Friday.

The average price of self-serve regular unleaded gasoline in the Los Angeles area was $1.642 per gallon Friday morning - seven-tenths of a cent more than last week, 11 cents more than last month and 45 cents more than a year ago, according to the Auto Club.

FTC still fighting baseball's Garvey

Federal regulators said Friday they will appeal a ruling by a Los Angeles judge that cleared former Dodger and Padres first baseman Steve Garvey of liability related to a diet aid that he endorsed.

The Federal Trade Commission, which sued Garvey in federal court, wanted him to give up $1 million in royalties, appearance fees and expense reimbursements he received from Enforma Inc. in exchange for touting the company's ``Fat Trapper'' and ``Exercise in a Bottle'' products.

The supplements were billed as a way to drop pounds without diet or exercise, with Garvey appearing in the products' infomercials.

$1.3 million made before stock falls

PARIS - Vivendi Universal's former chief financial officer allegedly made about $1.3 million by exercising stock options shortly before a move by the embattled company that sparked a sharp stock sell-off, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

The newspaper said Guillaume Hannezo exercised the options on Dec. 28, 2001. Less than two weeks later, Vivendi sold 55 million of its own shares, raising 3.3 billion euros, or $3.3 billion, in much-needed cash for the debt-laden company and alarming stock markets.

Nestle, Ethiopia settle $1.5 million

VEVEY, Switzerland - Food and beverage giant Nestle on Friday said it had reached a deal with Ethiopian authorities over $1.5 million the Swiss company said it was owed by the African nation.

Nestle said that once it received the money, it planned to donate it to aid programs in Ethiopia, where millions of people are facing hunger because of drought and a series of failed harvests. Ethiopia has agreed to make the payment within 30 days, Nestle said.

In December, Nestle denied reports it was demanding $6 million from Ethiopia in compensation for a local company that was forcibly nationalized in the 1970s.