Employee Participation

Fast-food protests are under way in cities including New York, Chicago and Detroit, with organizers expecting the biggest national walkouts yet in a demand for higher wages.

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits remained near the lowest level in more than five years last week, a sign that companies are cutting few jobs.

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week after reaching the lowest level in 5 years. But the broader trend suggests companies are laying off fewer workers and could step up hiring in the months ahead.

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee on Monday rejected the idea of giving immigrants in the United States illegally a special pathway to citizenship, and said the House must chart its own course on immigration even if it never results in a bill President Barack Obama can sign.

Unemployment rates rose in more than half of U.S. states in July and fewer states added jobs, echoing national data that show the job market may have lost some momentum.

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits dropped 15,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 320,000, the fewest since October 2007 a sign of dwindling layoffs and steady if modest job growth.

There's a sense of urgency to the quest for workplace harmony, as baby boomers delay retirement and work side-by-side with people young enough to be their children or grandchildren.

The young professionals on the bus seat behind me were talking about this years medical benefits, and I listened in. Its my business. (Benefits, that isnot eavesdropping.)