July 10, 1998

Workers at Avondale shipyard in New Orleans remain without a union five years after voting to join one; Avondale battle is one of most heavily litigated unionization fights in history of National Labor Relations Board; labor leaders and even some Government officials point to it as proof that nation's labor laws are cumbersome and replete with loopholes and that companies intent on keeping unions out can dismiss union supporters and use other illegal tactics to beat back organizing drives and make mockery of right to organize; say employers create delays because they realize that organizing drives can fizzle in five years it can take for courts to order company to recognize union that won unionization election; Federal officials say scores of union-organizing cases are caught up in legal limbo, as companies file appeal after appeal; photo (M)

New York Yankees beat Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 2-0; photo (M)

Judge Vincent J Alfieri Jr of Clarkstown, NY, Justice Court lifts order barring contact between Stacey Hoehmann and her father Joseph, who was convicted of abusing her when she was teen-ager; Ms Hoehmann, now 20, sent Alfieri letter in March contending that her accusation had been all lies; she said her father, who has been free on bail pending appeal of his conviction, was not guilty of charges for which he received a year in jail; Ms Hoehmann's new account has forced Dist Atty Louis Valvo, who believes her recantation is lie, to proceeed with case without cooperating victim, and it has forced Alfieri to decide whether he should throw out conviction he himself handed down; photo (M)

The Baby Bust, special report on rapid, sustained decline in birth rates in many countries around world; millions of women throughout developed world are choosing to have fewer children, driven largely by prosperity and freedom; women stay in school longer, put more emphasis on work and marry later; never before--except at times of plague, war and deep economic depression--have birth rates fallen so low, for so long; low birth rates, once regarded as industrial world's cherished goal, are now cause for alarm; with life expectancy rising at same time that fertility drops, most developed countries may soon find themselves with lopsided societies that will be nearly impossible to sustain: large number of elderly and not enough young people working to support them; change will affect every program that requires public funds; nowhere in Europe are people having enough children to replace themselves when they die; large pool of new immigrants to US help keep fertility rate higher than in any other prosperous country, but figure is still below 2.1 children per woman--magic number needed to keep population from starting to shrink; photos; maps (L)

Japanese banks and other financial institutions are in broad retreat from US market, closing offices and cutting back on their lending to American companies; Japanese banks are pulling out of US altogether or consolidating operations in New York; number of Japanese banks with offices in New York has fallen to 55 from 70 in last few years; number with offices in Los Angeles has dropped to 17 from 25, and to 16 from 21 in Chicago; Japanese banking crisis is also accelerating sale of Japanese-owned hotels, office buildings and golf courses in US, many of which were bought at exorbitant prices in late 1980's; graphs (M)

Anthony Tommasini's Critic's Notebook column says Lincoln Center Festival's Bernstein Celebration will provide chance to re-evaluate wide scope and little-explored corners of Leonard Bernstein's music; photos (M)

Major League Baseball owners unanimously elect Bud Selig commissioner; although Selig will shed 'acting' from his unofficial title Aug 1, he is not expected to alter way in which he has performed his role since Sept 9, 1992, two days after last commissioner, Fay Vincent, resigned under pressure; photo (M)

Anthony Tommasini reviews Lincoln Center Festival's presentation of Patience and Sarah, three-act chamber opera by Paula M Kimper and Wende Persons; photo (M)

Concerns on Global Court Citing concerns about sovereignty and vulnerability of American troops to politically motivated charges, the United States set out new conditions for taking part in an international criminal court, calling for sharp limits in scope and authority. Page A7.

Judge Henry duPont Ridgely sentences Amy S Grossberg to 30 months in prison and her former boyfriend, Brian C Peterson, to two-year sentence for contributing to death of their newborn baby in Newark, Del, in November 1996; Grossberg's lawyer renews old arguments that baby was stillborn; infant was found in Dumpster behind motel where couple went when Grossberg went into labor; prosecutors concede they could not prove that fractures on newborn's head had been deliberately inflicted or who had caused them; judge denounces Grossberg for egocentric indifference to life of her newborn son, and issues gentler scolding to Peterson, who had urged Grossberg to seek abortion or go to hospital; Grossberg and Peterson grew up in New Jersey and were 18-year-old college freshmen at time of birth; photos (M)

Over 12,000 people attend Staten Island funeral for Capt Scott LaPiedra, firefighter who died on July 4, a month after being burned in Brooklyn fire; photo (M)

Federal jury acquits Don King of nine counts of wire fraud, second time he was tried on charges of attempting to defraud Lloyd's of London insurance syndicate out of $350,000 following cancellation of boxing match involving Julio Cesar Chavez; photo (M)