Labor/Economics

[ZoWie]

Nasdaq down 357 at 1138 Eastern. Dow also down, but not by as big a percentage as NASDAQ.

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Cleveland Public Library workers avoid strike, reach ‘tentative’ agreement

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Cleveland Public Library workers avoided a strike Monday after reaching a last minute “tentative agreement.”

Workers were scheduled to walk off the job at noon Monday.

https://www.cleveland19.com/2026/08/24/ ... le-monday/

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Fed’s preferred inflation gauge shows core prices rose 3.3% annually in July

Prices consumers pay for a variety of goods and services rose slightly in July, according to the Federal Reserve’s main inflation gauge.

The personal consumption expenditures price index, which the Fed uses as its preferred forecasting tool, increased a seasonally adjusted 0.2% for the month, putting the annual inflation rate at 3.7%, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. Both were 0.1 percentage point above the Dow Jones consensus.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/26/feds-pr ... -july.html

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GM union deal would invest C$1.1 bln in Canada auto factories amid US tariff pressure

Aug 29 (Reuters) - General Motors (GM.N), opens new tab plans to assemble a heavy-duty ‌pickup at an Ontario plant as part of a tentative deal with a key union that would pump C$1.1 billion ($791.31 million) into Canada's auto sector as it reels from U.S. tariffs, a union bargaining report said on Saturday.

The investment comes as Canada's auto sector grapples with 25% ​U.S. tariffs on vehicles, with President Donald Trump pledging to double them to 50% on January 1, 2027. ​The fate of Canadian auto plants has emerged as a central issue in stalled U.S.-Canada ⁠trade negotiations.

https://unwall.app/www.reuters.com/busi ... 026-08-29/

[ap215]

Unifor members ratify contracts with GM securing new products, investment

TORONTO, Aug. 30, 2026 /CNW/ -- Unifor members at General Motors voted overwhelmingly to ratify contracts that secure new products and investment, while also delivering the wages and benefit improvements in the union's pattern agreement.

"These agreements commit more than one billion dollars in vital investments to Canadian GM facilities, with a new single source next-generation transmission at the St. Catharines Propulsion Plant and the return of next-generation Heavy-Duty GMC Sierra production to Oshawa," said Unifor National President Lana Payne. "GM is making these investments in both its highly skilled Canadian workforce and facilities at a crucial time, as our domestic auto industry is under siege by the Trump Administration."

https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/polic ... 00142.html

[ap215]

Private payrolls rose by 38,000 in August, fewer than expected, ADP reports

Private U.S. companies added jobs at a slightly slower-than-expected pace in August, with gains concentrated heavily in health care and a few other industries, ADP reported Wednesday.

The payrolls processing firm said firms added 38,000 workers, fewer than the upwardly revised 46,000 in July and below the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 47,000.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/02/private ... ports.html

[ap215]

U.S. payrolls rose 162,000 in August, much more than expected; unemployment rate at 4.1%

The U.S. economy added jobs at a brisk pace in August, reversing a summer slowdown in hiring, while the unemployment rate held steady.

Nonfarm payrolls rose a seasonally adjusted 162,000 for the month while the unemployment rate, as expected, held steady at 4.1%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for a payrolls increase of 53,000.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/04/jobs-re ... -2026.html

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On Labor Day, Mamdani Announces City’s First Office to Organize Workers

New York City hosted the country’s first Labor Day celebrations 144 years ago. Today, Mayor Zohran Mamdani is announcing another milestone for labor: the establishment of the city’s first office dedicated to educating and organizing workers.

Mamdani’s executive order, signed Thursday, plans to create the Mayor’s Office of Worker Power (MOWP), which will channel City Hall resources to support workers’ organizing efforts.

https://documentedny.com/2026/09/07/nyc ... ker-power/

[ap215]

Small Business Optimism Slips in August

Small business optimism edged lower in August as owners reported weaker sales, persistent inflation pressures and continued difficulty finding qualified workers, according to the National Federation of Independent Business.

The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index fell to 98.7 in August, 1.1 points below July’s level, which was the highest since August 2025. The index remained above its 52-year average of 98.0.

https://fortworthinc.com/news/small-bus ... ng-weaken/

[ap215]

Blizzard Entertainment Workers Ratify Historic Video Game Contracts with CWA

NATIONWIDE — Blizzard Entertainment workers represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) voted to ratify historic union contracts with the Microsoft-owned company, securing an unprecedented victory for the video game industry following the Labor Day holiday and just days ahead of BlizzCon, Blizzard Entertainment’s flagship gaming convention in Anaheim, Calif.

After two years of bargaining, nearly 1900 video game workers have won a breakthrough first contract, whose terms will now extend to all units across Blizzard’s game teams and shared services, including union-represented workers at World of Warcraft, Quality Assurance, Hearthstone and Warcraft Rumble, Overwatch, Diablo, and Blizzard’s Platform & Technology and Story and Franchise Development units.

https://cwa-union.org/news/releases/bli ... tracts-cwa

[ap215]

Boeing and engineers' union reach tentative contract agreement

Boeing and engineers' union reach tentative contract agreement

SEATTLE, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab and its engineering union reached a ‌tentative contract agreement on Friday, union officials said.

The four-year offer includes higher general wage increases than the first offer, which members of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) overwhelmingly rejected in an August 21 vote.

https://unwall.app/www.reuters.com/busi ... 026-09-11/

[ap215]

SF Opera, Musicians Reach Tentative Agreement, Ending Strike

The strike at San Francisco Opera, which resulted in five canceled performances and delayed the opening of the 2026–27 season, is set to come to an end.

The San Francisco Opera Orchestra and San Francisco Opera jointly announced Thursday evening that a tentative agreement on a four-year contract has been reached. Pending ratification of the contract, performances will resume at the opera house when Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra opens on Tuesday, Sept. 22.

https://www.kqed.org/arts/13994014/sf-o ... -agreement

[ap215]

Consumer sentiment slides again as fuel costs climb and 70% of Americans struggle with basic needs

Americans are feeling worse about the economy for the second month in a row, even as the job market shows few signs of cracking.

Consumer sentiment fell to 48.1 in September, according to the University of Michigan's Surveys of Consumers, down from 51.7 in August. This is the lowest reading in four months, and is down 15% from January 2026.

https://www.scrippsnews.com/politics/ec ... asic-needs

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AG Davenport Announces Win to Fund the CFPB, Helping Protect Consumers

TRENTON — In a victory for consumers, Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced that a multistate coalition co-led by New Jersey won a court order rejecting the Trump Administration’s efforts to defund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

In December 2025, 22 attorneys general sued to stop the Trump Administration from attempting to gut the agency, in violation of federal law. The Trump Administration was unlawfully refusing to request any funding from the Federal Reserve for this agency based on Acting Director Russell T. Vought’s unprecedented interpretation of the agency’s funding law.

https://www.njoag.gov/ag-davenport-anno ... consumers/

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AutoZone Worker Says He Was Fired After White Plains Store Won First Union Election: Report

An AutoZone employee who helped organize workers at a Westchester County store said he was fired one day after his co-workers won what has been described as the company's first successful union election, according to reports.

Nathan DuCongé, a parts manager at the AutoZone store in White Plains, was fired on Saturday, Sept. 26, according to DuCongé and a GoFundMe fundraising page launched on his behalf.

https://dailyvoice.com/article/autozone ... on-report/

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Private sector jobs rose by 90,000 in September, better than expected, ADP reports

Private job creation picked up in September after a brief slowdown, providing further indication that the U.S. labor market has stabilized, according to an ADP report Wednesday.

The payrolls processing firm said company employment rose by 90,000 for the month, higher than the downwardly revised 36,000 in August and better than the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 68,000.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/30/private ... ports.html

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Fed’s preferred gauge showed core inflation at 3.0% in August, much lighter than expected

Consumer prices posted a smaller-than-expected increase in August from a year ago, according to the Federal Reserve’s primary inflation gauge, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday.

The personal consumption expenditures price index rose a seasonally adjusted 0.3% for the month, putting the 12-month gain at 3.4%. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for increases of 0.3% and 3.7%, respectively.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/30/feds-pr ... ected.html

[ap215]

Boeing engineers, tech workers approve contract, avoid strike

SEATTLE — Boeing has avoided an engineering strike after more than 17,000 engineers and technical workers on Thursday approved a four-year contract offer promising wage increases and other perks.

The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace wrapped up its electronic voting at noon.

https://komonews.com/news/local/boeing- ... pment-tech

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COCC and faculty union reach tentative agreement, avoiding strike

Central Oregon Community College and the Faculty Forum reached a tentative agreement regarding a collective bargaining agreement Friday evening, just days before a strike was set to begin.

The agreement comes after continued mediation efforts between the college and faculty members.

https://bendbulletin.com/2026/10/03/cen ... agreement/

[ap215]

Federal budget deficit climbs to $2 trillion as fiscal jitters multiply

The federal budget deficit rose to nearly $2 trillion for the past fiscal year, spurred in part by ballooning interest payments and tariff refunds, the Congressional Budget Office reported Thursday.

The gap between the revenue the federal government collects and the amount it spends widened by $218 billion, or 12%, in the last fiscal year, which ended September 30.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/08/politics ... o-trillion

[ap215]

Teacher strike averted at Bellefonte Area School District as both sides reach tentative agreement

A teachers’ strike at the Bellefonte Area School District that was scheduled to start Monday has been averted, as both the union and school district say they’ve come to a tentative agreement.

In a press statement, the Bellefonte Area Education Association said it has formally withdrawn the strike notice and that staff will “report for school as usual.”

https://radio.wpsu.org/2026-10-11/teach ... -agreement

[ap215]

Tentative deal reached between First Student and Princeton schools bus drivers

CINCINNATI — Bus drivers who serve Princeton City Schools and First Student, the company they work for, have reached a tentative agreement following a strike that lasted just under two weeks.

Neither side has shared the specifics of the new agreement, but the latest talks concerned higher wages and daily hourly route guarantees. Union drivers are expected to vote on it Wednesday morning.

https://www.wlwt.com/article/tentative- ... s/74125159

[ap215]

Wholesale prices jumped 6.3% annually in September, biggest gain since 2022

September’s producer price index came in much hotter than economists forecast on Thursday, underscoring the continued inflationary pressure from energy amid the U.S. war with Iran.

The measure of underlying inflation pressures climbed 1.3% in September and 6.3% on an annual basis, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That marked the largest monthly and annual gains since March 2022 and December 2022, respectively.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/15/septemb ... -data.html

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Monthlong Strike Ends as Solvang, City Workers Reach Tentative Deal

After a monthlong strike, the Solvang’s unionized workers and the City of Solvang reached a tentative deal on Wednesday night.

“This agreement is a testament to the determination and solidarity of the hardworking men and women who serve the City of Solvang,” said union representative Jeff Lee in an October 14 press release.

https://www.independent.com/2026/10/15/ ... tive-deal/