Labor/Economics

[ap215]

Ford, Unifor reach tentative agreement for Canadian autoworkers

The Canadian autoworkers union Unifor has reached a tentative agreement with Ford Motor Co. after it extended negotiations with the Dearborn automaker beyond a self-imposed Friday deadline, the labor group said Saturday evening.

Meredith Keenan, vice president of human resources at Ford Motor Co. of Canada Ltd., also confirmed the agreement in a statement, which she said is three years. Keenan said she declined to provide further details out of respect for the ratification process.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/compani ... ngNewsSerp

[ap215]

DOJ Grand Jury Investigates Allegations Involving Shawn Fain as 400,000 UAW Members Prepare for Crucial Vote

A federal grand jury is investigating allegations that United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain pressured a senior union official to secure benefits for his fiancée and her sister, according to internal union communications first reported by Bloomberg News on 12 July.

The timing could hardly be worse for the union's 400,000 members. They are preparing to elect a president in a six-way race this autumn while the leadership they pay for fights a federal legal battle funded, in part, by their dues.

https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/uaw-president ... on-1808246

[ap215]

DOJ Grand Jury Investigates Allegations Involving Shawn Fain as 400,000 UAW Members Prepare for Crucial Vote

A federal grand jury is investigating allegations that United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain pressured a senior union official to secure benefits for his fiancée and her sister, according to internal union communications first reported by Bloomberg News on 12 July.

The timing could hardly be worse for the union's 400,000 members. They are preparing to elect a president in a six-way race this autumn while the leadership they pay for fights a federal legal battle funded, in part, by their dues.

https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/uaw-president ... on-1808246

[ap215]

Consumer prices rose 3.5% annually in June, less than expected as energy prices eased

Consumer prices posted their biggest decline in more than six years during June as a sharp swoon in energy prices provided at least temporary relief from this year’s inflation surge, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday.

The consumer price index, a broad measure of costs for goods and services across the U.S. economy, was lower than expected across the board. The CPI fell a seasonally adjusted 0.4% for the month, bringing the annual inflation rate down to 3.5%.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/14/consume ... -2026.html

[ZoWie]

That's meaningless because trump's on again off again war in the Middle East is very much on again, and the strait of Hormuz is closed indefinitely again. There goes the price of oil, again.

[ap215]

Bellingham Herald union members ratify new contract after strike

Following a one-day strike in May, Bellingham Herald — one of five Pacific Northwest newspapers negotiating with McClatchy Media — secured raises and protections against artificial intelligence in a new three-year contract.

“It’s not everything we wanted, but I guess we’ll take it,” said Jack Belcher, a Bellingham Herald reporter. “The AI language is pretty good. We’re still getting some money, but not much that we wanted. All in all, I think it’s just a rough compromise.”

https://salish-current.org/2026/07/16/b ... er-strike/

[ap215]

Brooklyn Defender Services strike ends after tentative labor deal reached

The threat of a mass citywide public defender strike wreaking havoc on the city’s courthouses appeared to be averted on Tuesday after striking attorneys reached a deal on a new labor contract with the city’s second-largest public defender group.

Unionized members of Brooklyn Defender Services ended their strike after a tentative agreement for a new labor contract was reached late Tuesday night, both BDS and the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys – UAW Local 2325 confirmed.

https://queenseagle.com/all/2026/7/22/b ... al-reached

[ap215]

Labor board certifies union election at SSM Health St. Mary’s in Madison

The National Labor Relations Board has certified the union election for hundreds of nurses at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison.

Nurses at the hospital voted 511-63 to unionize with the Service Employees International Union of Wisconsin back in June. After the vote, SSM Health filed objections to the conduct of the election with the National Labor Relations Board.

https://www.wpr.org/news/labor-board-ce ... in-madison

[ap215]

Earnings Scoreboard: 83% of S&P 500 early reporters top EPS estimates ahead of big tech wave

Earnings season moved into high gear this week, as 78 major S&P 500 leaders across the financial, industrial, technology, and health care sectors provided a comprehensive health check on the global economy. Resilient performance across defense, consumer demand, and core financial services has established strong corporate fundamentals as markets brace for the next major wave of mega-cap technology earnings.

Earnings Roundup:

Bottom Line: Out of the 78 companies reporting, 65 exceeded EPS expectations, 10 fell short, and three met estimates. Notably, 60 firms posted year-over-year earnings growth.

https://seekingalpha.com/news/4617926-e ... r_safari=1

[ap215]

U.S. economy slowed to 1.5% growth rate in Q2; June core inflation at 3.3%

Economic growth was weaker than expected in the second quarter while inflation in June held well above the Federal Reserve’s goal, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.

Gross domestic product, a broad measure of goods and services, increased just 1.5% for the April-through June period, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers adjusted for seasonality and inflation.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/30/us-econ ... rcent.html

[ap215]

Private companies added just 44,000 workers in July, below expectations, ADP reports

Hiring at private companies slowed considerably in July, with most of the job growth coming from healthcare, payrolls processing firm ADP reported Wednesday.

Nonfarm job growth excluding government totaled a seasonally adjusted 44,000 for the month, below the downwardly revised 95,000 in June and less than the Dow Jones consensus forecast for 75,000.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/05/private ... ports.html

[ZoWie]

I assume that's the same CNBC that spent this whole morning predicting continued prosperity forever due to AI. Hard to take them seriously.

[ZoWie]

CNBC was giddy all morning about how AI will make us all billionaires. Meanwhile, all the news channels were reporting a third AI escaping its sandbox and hacking other people's web sites.

Right now it strongly appears as if the Internet is at war with itself. Hope we don't trust the net with the nuclear button.

[ap215]

Jobs report shows US unexpectedly lost jobs in July

The U.S. economy unexpectedly lost jobs in July, demonstrating a wobbly labor market as shoppers continued to withstand a surge of inflation set off by the Iran war.

The U.S. lost 23,000 jobs in July, according to the federal government's monthly jobs report, which marked a decline from 57,000 jobs added in June.

https://abcnews.com/Business/jobs-repor ... =135422024

[ap215]

Voters prefer Democrats over Republicans on economy for first time in a decade, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

WASHINGTON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Americans picked Democrats ​over Republicans as better stewards of the economy for the first time in nearly a decade in a Reuters/Ipsos ‌poll, which also found their approval of President Donald Trump's performance falling to 35%.

The finding, in a poll conducted Wednesday through Monday, showed how Trump's handling of the economy, including rising energy prices resulting from the Iran war, could weigh on his party's chances in the November midterm elections that will determine control of Congress for ​the next two years.

https://unwall.app/www.reuters.com/worl ... 026-08-03/

[ZoWie]

Since US voters seem to vote based on their pocketbooks, this is indeed significant. It probably has more relevance to the mood out there than most other questions asked on polls.