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.

Continue reading United Continental Lifted by Union Agreement

United Continental Lifted by Union Agreement originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Stocks Flat Going into the Holiday (GE, BAC, CSCO, INTC, AAPL)

Closing Bell: Stocks Flat Going into the Holiday (GE, BAC, CSCO, INTC, AAPL) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Alcoa Extends Contract Deadline, Reaches Tentative Agreement

Alcoa Extends Contract Deadline, Reaches Tentative Agreement originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading U.S. Labor Costs Rise 0.6% in Q1, but Still Up Just 1.7% in a Year

U.S. Labor Costs Rise 0.6% in Q1, but Still Up Just 1.7% in a Year originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading A U.S. Employee Shortage in 10 Years?

A U.S. Employee Shortage in 10 Years? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 05 Apr 2010 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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."

Continue reading U.S. Manufacturing Experiences Largest Gain Since 2004

U.S. Manufacturing Experiences Largest Gain Since 2004 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Oil Closes Above $80

Oil Closes Above $80 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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.

Continue reading The Power and Glory of Labor Unions Fades

The Power and Glory of Labor Unions Fades originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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.

Continue reading Sunday Funnies: Market rising in spite of high unemployment

Sunday Funnies: Market rising in spite of high unemployment originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading New jobless claims drop last week

New jobless claims drop last week originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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.

Continue reading Will President-elect Obama start a wave of labor unrest?

Will President-elect Obama start a wave of labor unrest? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 08:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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.

Boeing (BA): Labor trouble, again originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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.

Continue reading Boeing reaches deal with machinists. Is its engineering union next?

Boeing reaches deal with machinists. Is its engineering union next? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

What do labor unions have against private equity? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Disney faces costumed employees in labor dispute originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading GDP posts gains, jobless claims hits high, housing sales rise -- what a mix!

GDP posts gains, jobless claims hits high, housing sales rise -- what a mix! originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post opens our Big Company, Small Town series, featuring large companies and the small towns in which they are headquartered. Watch for more Big Company, Small Town posts coming soon.

All across this great country of ours, small cities, towns, and villages have been built in the shadows of major companies that supply work for their local populations. It can be a wonderful situation that cultivates a special kind of community and a deep-seated local pride. However, it can also be a recipe for civic disaster, if the major supplier of a wage base in a locality goes out of business or leaves town. Such was the near disastrous fate of Park Falls, Wisconsin, not so long ago.

The city of Park Falls, which is Wisconsin's most geographically isolated city, was built around its paper mill. At its height, the mill helped to bring the population of the city to nearly 4,000 inhabitants. However, in 2006 the paper mill, which was operating at reduced capacity under ownership from out of state, was shut down almost without any prior notice. The result was immediate and deeply wrenching turmoil. Not only had the paper mill workers lost an excellent source of income, but the collateral damage was jarringly significant also. Loggers had no local market for their pulp wood. Dozens of family-feeding log trucks were idled. Private contractors who did various types of work for the mill were left with thousands of dollars worth of unpaid invoices. Local vendors, retailers, and support businesses almost immediately went slack.

Continue reading When the big company leaves the small town

When the big company leaves the small town originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 22 Jun 2008 17:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Canadian auto pact with Ford called 'qualified win' for both sides originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 05 May 2008 11:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In the April 23, Wall Street Journal, Senator Sherrod Brown, (D) Ohio, made a realistic assessment of current government trade policy and how it is diluting the strength of our country. I think that Senator Brown was just a bit gentle with his words, and understandably so when given his position. Suffice it to say that I agree with him for the most part, but he should have just cut to the chase. The American working class has been sold out. He also failed to make one critical point about NAFTA. It was his party and the guidance of Bill Clinton that navigated that document into law.

Partisan politics aside, I believe that current American trade standards are something we need to be ashamed of. As a free market capitalist, I have nothing against the survival of the fittest in the worlds of manufacturing and business. However, we're beholden to good sense to provide a level playing field and to maintain benchmark standards. In that regard, American workers have been shorted. Our trade deficit is a testament to the decline of the American Dream. It's a dream, while not referred to by that name, that resides in the hearts of workers the world over. Every parent wants their children to have a greater degree of opportunity and safety than they had.

Continue reading An Ohio senator opines on free trade

An Ohio senator opines on free trade originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 26 Apr 2008 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

U.S. initial jobless claims drop 21,000 -- below estimate originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 03 Jan 2008 09:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.