Steve Miller has gone from a provocative after-dinner speaker to a negotiator. It’s definitely a U-turn.

There are some very hard choices and no easy answers. This is a long way from over.

The next step will be the permanent replacement of mechanics and cleaners. That is what Northwest will announce sooner rather than later.

The close vote tells us there’s a lot of anger and apprehension out there.

Many companies are looking to roll back benefits, and benefits for retirees are at the top of the list. This decision says that while they may be first on the list, they may not be...

The court cases reflect that the rat has made its claw marks felt.

GM is sending signals about its priorities. The 2007 negotiations are going to be tough.

They’re getting their message across before bargaining begins in earnest. Showing a lot of visibility and political clout means bargaining will be influenced by not just what happens at the table but what happens in...

Fox and Chavez are both serving important domestic political purposes for each other.

It’s highly unpredictable what’s going to happen. What unites everyone that’s going to do something [today] is they are making visible their strong feelings.

You’ve got the pressures of the global economy, fierce competition in deregulated industries like airlines and powerful anti-union employers like Wal-Mart.

The rhetoric is much different this time – this time they’re really out to get each other.

When you have a defined contribution, it puts more of the risk onto the recipient, … If insurance costs go up, that means that your coverage is affected.

What GM gets in changes in the jobs bank is likely going to be based on compromises they are willing to make elsewhere. The fact that they are talking about this so early is unusual...

The CAW, given the context, has done very well. The boat is afloat and upright after going through the rapids. They wanted to protect their members.

For Chavez, Fox is a surrogate of the United States in Latin America. For Fox, coming on against Chavez is low-cost, since he’s in his last year (in office), weakened at home … . Standing...

Labor is in some pretty tough rapids right now.

I think what we are looking at here are exit roads from the middle class.

Losing 30,000 jobs, closing 14 plants, has enormous consequences not just for the union, but for the future of their members. It is a major blow.

He’s taken a windy day and turned it into a hurricane. Labor is influential in Sacramento. On certain bills and issues, they are very influential. But they are one of many groups that can dominate.

It’s going to have significant impact on the companies and on the industry. It is a painful option for the union but it is the best option of those available.

Miller, by taking such a visible and hard line, may have underestimated the UAW. The union would like to see a settlement, but not at the cost of 60 years of gains.

Bankruptcy is allowing airlines to emerge with a clean slate, but it’s bad news for workers. Pensions will be affected, and it will mean lower wages and probably fewer jobs.