Business briefs: Port operators halt work over weekend

SEATTLE – Vessel operations at all 29 ports along the West Coast will be suspended over the weekend, according to the Pacific Maritime Association.

“After three months of union slowdowns, it makes no sense to pay extra for less work,” PMA spokesman Wade Gates said in a statement. “Especially if there is no end in sight to the union’s actions which needlessly brought West Coast ports to the brink of gridlock.”

The association, which represents terminal operators at West Coast ports, is halting all vessel loading and unloading. Yard, rail and gate operations, which include processing containers for truck and rail delivery to customers, will be allowed to continue at the terminal operators’ discretion, according to the release.

Vessel operations are scheduled to resume Monday.

Anthem: Hacker tried breach months ago

SAN FRANCISCO – The hackers who stole millions of health insurance records from Anthem Inc. obtained the credentials of five different employees to try to penetrate the network, and may have been inside the system since December, the company says.

Hackers stole names, social security numbers and other information for up to 80 million Anthem customers. The company has said one of its computer administrators discovered on Jan. 27 that an outsider was using his security credentials to log in to Anthem’s system. Investigators now believe the hackers somehow obtained credentials of five different tech workers, possibly through email phishing attempts.

Anthem spokeswoman Kristin Binns said Friday that an attempt on the network was made Dec. 10 that had the same hallmark as the breach discovered last week, but the network’s security deflected that attempt. Binns said the data was stolen sometime after that.

Campaigns, holiday boosted USPS revenue

WASHINGTON – Political campaign mailings and an increase in holiday package deliveries helped boost U.S. Postal Service revenue at the end of 2014, even as the agency posted a $754 million loss in the final three months of the year.

Still, Postmaster General Megan Brennan said that despite continuing losses, the outlook is much brighter than it has been in the past.

The agency’s revenue rose 4.3 percent in the final quarter of the year.

Comcast still waiting on NY vote on merger

PHILADELPHIA – After months of delays, New York utility commissioners have yet to vote on Comcast Corp.’s proposed $45 billion deal for Time Warner Cable Inc.

The state’s Public Service Commission now says it could vote at its Feb. 26 meeting.

One opponent of the deal said he thought the New York action might be perpetually postponed while the Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department review the proposed transaction. This would allow the independent state agency to base its action on what the federal agencies do. Comcast announced the proposed megamerger last February.

“My view is that this is a hot potato and they don’t want to deal with it,” said Phillip Dampier, editor of the Rochester, New York, group Stop the Cap, which is against the deal. The commission, he said, has delayed a decision for several months.

According to New York law, Comcast has to show that a merge with Time Warner would benefit New York residents. Opponents point to Internet costs for low-income residents and customer service as concerns.