OSHA investigating Liberty Bridge firePITTSBURGH — Federal authorities are investigating the construction fire that prompted closure of a major bridge into downtown Pittsburgh.The U.S. Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration can issues citations and fines if it finds violations of federal safety and health standards or “serious hazards.”Area director Christopher Robinson said the agency has six months to complete the probe.The Liberty Bridge was closed following Friday’s fire that began on plastic pipes and a construction tarp as crews were cutting steel as part of an $80 million reconstruction project.Pennsylvania Department of Transportation officials said the blaze damaged a steel beam critical to the stability of the bridge, which spans the Monongahela River.PennDOT says the contractor faces fines totaling $213,600 a day for each day the bridge remains closed.

Pgh. transit agency, union close to dealPITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh-area transit agency and the union representing its workers have reached tentative agreement on a new four-year contract.The Port Authority of Allegheny County announced the deal in a joint release with ATU Local 85 Wednesday but said details would not be released pending ratification.Officials said the proposal covers 2,200 union bus and rail operators, maintenance, service personnel, administrative employees and supervisors.The transit system has some 200,000 daily riders.

Judge says no to Uber class actionSAN FRANCISCO — In a victory for Uber, a federal appeals court says drivers for the most part have to resolve claims against the company individually and not through a class-action lawsuit.The ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday came in a lawsuit by Uber drivers over background checks.But it also affects drivers in a separate suit who accuse the ride-hailing service of exploiting them by treating them as independent contractors instead of employees. That’s because the arbitration clause the ruling upheld also applies to the vast majority of the roughly 380,000 drivers in that lawsuit.Those drivers will now have less leverage against Uber as they pursue claims individually through arbitration instead of as a group through a class-action suit.

Faculty, staff offered voluntary retirementSTATE COLLEGE — Penn State is offering voluntary retirement packages to about 1,270 faculty and nonacademic staff members to address “budgetary and ongoing work force challenges.”That number accounts for about 4.7 percent of the university system’s full-time work force across 24 campuses in Pennsylvania, according to university employment statistics. Eligible faculty or staff have until Sept. 30 to decide whether to accept the packages, which will offer a one-time, lump-sum payment of 100 percent of the employee’s annual base salary.By The Associated Press