United Continental Holdings (UAL - option chain) shares are rising today after Continental Airlines announced its fleet service employees ratified their collective bargaining agreement with the company. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on UAL.

UAL opened this morning at $23.60. So far today the stock has hit a low of $23.50 and a high of $23.99. As of 12:15, UAL is trading at $23.86 up 0.40 (1.7%). The chart for UAL looks bullish and S&P gives UAL a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking.

Total nonfarm payroll employment fell by 125,000 in June as the number of temporary census workers dropped by 225,000, according to the Labor Department. Most analysts expected the June unemployment numbers to be better. The market did sell of substantially until about 1 PM. That is about the time that traders who are still around begin to leave for the 4th or July holiday. The small band that was left bid the market back up to near even. Volume was so light, it was hard to detect a trend.

The closing bell numbers:

Dow 9,686.48 -46.05 (-0.47%)
S&P 500 1,022.58 -4.79 (-0.47%)
Nasdaq 2,091.79 -9.57 (-0.46%)

Alcoa (AA - option chain) stock is trading lower today after the company looks like it has missed a deadline for a new labor deal. for the second time today. AA announced earlier today that it had extended the deadline to negotiate a new labor deal with the United Steelworkers Union, its largest union covering 5,400 employees at 10 plants. The union's contract was to expire at 1 AM this morning, but was extended 11 hours until noon and just before noon, the company announced a tentative agreement. No terms have been released and the union still needs to ratify it as well. If you think this stock won't be rising too far in the coming months, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on AA.

This morning, AA opened at $11.43. So far today the stock has hit a high of $11.68 and a low of $11.35. As of 12:15, AA is trading at $11.45, down $0.19 (-1.6%). The chart for AA looks bullish and S&P gives AA a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking.

Once again, a few morsels for the inflation hawks in the latest employment cost report, but little more: the Employment Cost Index rose 0.6% in the first quarter, the U.S. Labor Department announced Friday.

Further, although the stat was above the 0.4% first quarter Bloomberg News consensus estimate, employment costs are still up just 1.7% for the 12-month period ending March 2010. The 1.7% total represents a decline from the 2.1% stat for the 12-month period ending a year ago, in March 2009.

Most Americans know that the U.S. is currently experiencing a job shortage – and in a big way: the U.S. Labor Department put the number of unemployed persons at 15.0 million as of the end of March 2010. Even assuming that some those who've been laid off will not be seeking new positions - - some may choose to retire, for example -- the U.S. economy needs to create better than 11 million jobs to meet the need those seeking work.

According to a new study published by the MetLife Foundation and Civic Ventures, a San Francisco-based think tank on baby boomers, work, and social purpose, the U.S. economy is going to meet that need, and then some, by 2018.

Manufacturing expanded in March at the fastest pace since 2004. The Supply Management's factory index rose to 59.6. This exceed forecasts by Bloomberg News survey of 77 economists. Readings above 50 indicate expansion.

"Manufacturing is on a tear" said Chris Rupkey of bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi. "Manufacturing driven growth and export driven growth are getting us out of the recession and turning the recovery into a more sustainable one. As production increases, it means job gains are going to spread."

Over the past week, oil prices have been flirting with the psychological $80 barrier, and they were finally able to settle above $80 Wednesday. Oil traded up $1.26 a barrel to $80.94.

Earlier today, we got the weekly inventory report from the Department of Energy, which showed a greater-than-expected jump in reserves last week. The report showed that oil inventories grew by four million barrels, which was well above the one-million-barrel increase that analysts had forecast.

According to a recent nationwide survey conducted by Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, the glory days of America's labor unions are fading. At least they're fading in the eyes of the general populace.

Speculation varies widely about the reasons for the tarnishing of organized labor's luster. However, the decline of union favor is quite real. The approval of labor unions has decreased across a very wide demographic cross section of America, including in union-oriented households.

Since the stock market bottomed in March of this year, it has been firing on all cylinders -- except for those in the auto industry who manufacture the most cylinders of course. This year has not been kind to them.

For months, many have been surprised at the rapid rise, given the level of unemployment. During this same period, Wall Streeters have been dancing up and down, looking forward to more bonuses.

As the number of unemployed has climbed and the period of same has lengthened, many have wondered how business could be improving during a time when the consumer (those still left) has transformed from spender to saver.

We got a bit of surprising news today, hearing that new jobless claims fell to 530,000 last week.

Going into today's announcement from the Department of Labor, analysts had been expecting to see an increase of 5,000 new jobless claims last week. This marks the third week in a row that we have seen new jobless claims fall.

There are 200 workers sitting-in at a Chicago factory that they claim has stiffed them. And President-elect Obama supports their goals. This raises many questions: Is the sit-in illegal? If so, is Obama supporting an illegal action? More importantly, is Obama inadvertently encouraging workers around the country to pursue similar tactics?

At issue here is Republic Windows and Doors, a Chicago manufacturer that laid off its 200 workers last week and has failed to assure them that it will pay them the severance and vacation money they earned. The workers have responded by sitting-in on the factory floor. Obama said, "The workers who are asking for the benefits and payments that they have earned, I think they're absolutely right and understand that what's happening to them is reflective of what's happening across this economy," according to AP.

I have no legal training, however, it looks to me like a sit-in is a form of trespassing -- assuming that the workers are no longer employees of the company. (A VP of the worker's union said "We expected to go to jail.") My reading of Obama's comment suggests that he supports the workers' goals -- which is to get the money to which they're legally entitled -- while taking no position on the legality of their sit-in. The question is whether other aggrieved workers will miss this subtlety and view Obama's statement as an implicit endorsement of the workers' tactics.

Boeing (NYSE:BA) made a major tactical mistake by letting its machinists go on strike for weeks. It ended up giving the workers a good contract and, in the meantime, it shut down the company when its back orders for aircraft were at record levels. Of course, that upset a large number of the firm's customers who are waiting for the new fuel-efficient Dreamliner, which will be the new flagship of Boeing's fleet.

Management at Boeing does not seem to have learned a single thing from the last work stoppage and is risking another one that could further undermine its stock price and earnings.

According to The Wall Street Journal, "In an effort to ratchet up pressure on Boeing Co. negotiators, leaders of the union that represents about 21,000 of the company's white-collar engineers and technical workers said they will ask their members to authorize a strike in the event that the two sides are unable to agree on a new labor contract." Current contracts expire on December 1, so there is not much time.

Investors would think that, with such huge revenue coming in from the delivery of new planes over the next several years, that the company would do as much as possible to keep its earnings and credibility up with its largest customers intact. Management would rather get a few extra bucks in labor expense savings.

Maybe that is why Boeing's shares, at $43, are less than 50% of its 52-week high.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 24/7 Wall St.

After a 52-day strike, Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) has reached a tentative deal with its 27,000 member machinists union. Tentative details suggest that workers will get a 15% wage increase over three years, an $8,000 bonus over four years, and a freeze of medical costs at 2005 levels. Furthermore, the new contract limits the amount of work that can be outsourced and will last a year longer than the previous pact. But even though the contract has not been ratified, this is good news for Boeing and its workers.

Limiting outsourcing could be good for Boeing and the workers depending on how it's accomplished. One of the reasons for the delay in delivering its very popular 787 aircraft was that Boeing outsourced the majority of the design and manufacture of the components and later discovered that it was not doing enough to manage those subcontractors. As a result, Boeing suffered unpleasant surprises in its delivery schedule.

If Boeing and its machinists agreed to give the union a chance to bid on work under consideration to be outsourced, then both parties might be better off. That's because if the union offered a competitive price and excellent quality, Boeing would likely find it easier to manage its union workers than those of a subcontractor located half way around the world.

I'm not normally one for union-bashing, but I'm puzzled by organized labor's record of private equity-bashing. The New York Post reports that the two million member Service Employees International Union wants increased government oversight of the private equity industry, with a special emphasis on the various banks that are in desperate need of cash.

"The biggest buyout firms are used to gaming the system to turn a profit -- it's no surprise they want special rules now to take over another sector of our economy," SEIU president Andy Stern told the Post.

KKR and other buyout shops counter that the SEIU is trying to unionize employees at companies acquired by private equity, and is grasping at straws to drum up support.

That may be the case, but I can't imagine one has to do with the other. Employees should join unions (or not) because they feel (or don't feel) that their pay, job security and working conditions will benefit from membership. Bashing buyout firms would seem to be an irrelevant sideshow and a counterproductive one at that. Many union pension plans are large shareholders in banks and other firms that stand to benefit from private equity involvement, and they may be shooting their members in the foot by fighting macro issues like banking regulations that have absolutely nothing to do with their members' interests.

It was a publicity nightmare for the Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS): Tinkerbell, Snow White, Pinocchio, and Minnie Mouse being handcuffed and hauled away from Disneyland in a police van.

32 costumed protesters were arrested for failing to obey a police order and traffic violations on Thursday. The protest was part of a labor dispute involving 2,300 workers at Disney's hotels: the Paradise Pier, the Grand Californian and the Disneyland Hotel.

The union's contract expired in February, and workers complain that the new offer from Disney management would make health care unaffordable and, according to the president of Unite Here Local 681, workers are comparable local hotels make $2-3 an hour more. You can read the details of the dispute here.

I can't imagine that stuff like this is good for traffic at Disneyland: imagine showing up for a day of fun rides with your family, only to have your 4-year old ask why Mickey and Goofy are being hauled off in handcuffs!

A Disney spokesman told the USA Today that "Publicity stunts are not productive and are extremely disruptive to the resort district."

But won't disrupting the resort district "encourage" Disney to meet its workers' demands? If so, that sounds productive to me!