By Naoko Fujimura and Tetsuya Komatsu

Bloomberg

Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co., Japan’s two largest carmakers, and electronics companies NEC Corp. and Panasonic Corp. were among companies that rejected union requests for higher pay as the nation’s recession deepened.

Toyota turned down the union’s demand for a base pay increase of 4,000 yen ($41) a month, it said in a statement today. Union wage requests to Nissan Motor Co., Japan’s third- largest carmaker, Fujitsu Ltd. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. were also rejected.

Japanese companies have slashed production and fired workers, which economists predict will further undermine consumer spending. Prime Minister Taro Aso last week ordered his third stimulus plan as an unprecedented drop in exports pushed the nation toward the worst recession since World War II.

“Small bonuses this summer could hurt consumer spending, which is already depressed,” said Edwin Merner, president of Tokyo-based Atlantis Investment Research Corp., which manages $3.1 billion. “The government must do more to stimulate the economy, especially on the fiscal side.”

Toyota, the world’s biggest carmaker, is trying to hold down costs after forecasting its first loss in 59 years amid the worst global financial crisis since the Great Depression.

The request for higher pay “was far from the reality, given the current economic situation and our business environment,” Satoshi Ozawa, a Toyota senior managing director, said at a press conference today in Toyota City, Japan.

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image by bloomberg

By Kyle Peterson

June 24, Reuters

CHICAGO (Reuters) - UAL Corp, parent of United Airlines, said on Monday it plans to lay off 950 pilots as it prepares to cut domestic capacity to offset soaring fuel prices.

"As we reduce the size of our fleet and take actions companywide to enable United to compete in an environment of record fuel prices, we must take the difficult but necessary step to reduce the number of people we have to run our business," the No. 2 U.S. carrier said in a statement.

The latest layoffs involve nearly 15 percent of United's 6,518 pilots. The carrier has said it plans to cut its staff by 1,400 to 1,600 as it aims to reduce domestic capacity by 14 percent in the fourth quarter.

The airline industry has been battered by record high fuel costs, and major carriers are groping for stability through capacity cuts that enable them to run leaner operations and charge higher fares.

A spokesman for the Air Line Pilots Association, the union that represents United pilots, was not immediately available for comment.

"We continue discussions with ALPA and all of our unions on ways to mitigate involuntary furloughs, and we are working to notify all of our employee groups about furloughs as soon as we know the impact of our capacity reductions," UAL said.

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photo: A passenger walks by the empty counter at the United Airlines Terminal at O'Hare International airport in Chicago June 4, 2008 (REUTERS/Jeff Haynes)

For Some Occupations, Chronic Pain Just Part of the Job

By LARA SALAHI
ABC News Medical Unit

May 21, ABCNews

Does your job pain you?

No matter how much you love your job, there always will be days of strain and headaches. But for some, work brings daily aches and pains that can develop into something worse. In some professions, people suffer the hurt -- but keep going back every day.

For many, the problem is that they don't feel they have the skills necessary to get another job. And even if they can develop new skills, "they're not interested in retraining because they have to start from the beginning again. It's a much lower-paying job," said Mitchell Freedman, director of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.

"The instance of chronic pain goes up with job dissatisfaction, a feeling of helplessness about your job," Freedman said.

"And you can't get out of the job because it's either do that or not work. You'll do the best you can until finally, your body breaks down," he said.

For some, the pain comes just from sitting in the same position all day, such as police officers on patrol or heavy-truck operators. For others, it comes from repeated motions, such as a blogger typing at the keyboard for hours straight and straining to look at the computer monitor. And for some, the pain can come from both -- such as musicians, who have to sit and play for hours on end.

Some occupations may have more obvious risks, but for a Hollywood stuntman, the need to stay in shape may help the pain go away sooner.

Here are 10 jobs where physical aches can be a regular part of the daily grind.

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photo: Those who work in some professions face a much higher risk of developing chronic pain. (Getty Images)

By Myles Wearring

May 5, News.com.au

WOMEN are more effective in nearly all aspects of business management, with men superior in only two areas, a study has found.

According to research, which collected data from over 1800 Australian female and male CEOs and managers, women scored higher than men on the key issues of strategic drive, risk taking, people skills, aesthetics and altruism, and innovation.

Females equalled males in the area of emotional stability.

The two areas men came out on top were command and control of management operations, and focusing on financial returns.

This showed men were more task focused and more comfortable getting the job done, rather than bothering with relationships, the study said.
"The study reflects the ability of women to look beyond operational process management and cost control alone, and focus more on the holistic elements of a business," said Gillian O'Mara, director and general manager of Steps Leadership Programs, which commissioned the study by Peter Berry Consultancy.

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photo: Better boss ... women perform better when it comes to innovation, strategic drive and risk taking. Picture: Michael Perini

By Graeme Paton, Sophie Borland and Aislinn Simpson

April 24, Telegraph

A third of schools are expected to be thrown into chaos on Thursday as teachers staged their first national strike in 21 years - with threats of further industrial action to come.

Up to 8,000 primary, secondary and special schools are being forced to close - or turn entire classes away - because of the walk-out.

Some parents were still facing uncertainty as headteachers have been unable to confirm on Wednesday night if lessons would be covered.

The National Union of Teachers refused to rule out a rolling programme of strikes later this year as the Government appeared unlikely to cave into their demands for improved pay.

The union - representing almost half of teachers in England and Wales - insist this year's 2.45 per cent rise represents a real-terms cut following a huge increase in the cost of living.

Christine Blower, the NUT's acting general secretary, said high-ranking members would lobby Parliament in June before "further development of the campaign".

College lecturers, job centre workers, coastguards, driving examiners and other civil servants were also preparing to walk out in separate pay disputes.

The combined action - including members of the University and College Union and Public and Commercial Services union - will represent one of the most disruptive days of industrial action since Labour came to power.

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photo: Schools in city areas will be worst affected (Photograph by Jane Mingay)

By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA

April 22, NY Times

Marcus W. Brauchli will step down as the top-ranking editor of The Wall Street Journal after less than a year in the job, four people briefed on the matter said on Monday, just four months after Rupert Murdoch took control of the paper.

Mr. Brauchli, 46, will announce his resignation soon, according to friends and current and former colleagues, all of whom requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter. They differed as to whether he was being forced out as managing editor of The Journal, one of the most coveted posts in journalism, or leaving out of frustration.

The news of his pending resignation was first reported on Time magazine’s Web site.

Since December, when Mr. Murdoch’s News Corporation bought Dow Jones & Company, publisher of The Journal, he has immersed himself in the newspaper’s daily operations and quickly made changes in its shape and style. Friends and colleagues say that Mr. Brauchli has been frustrated with some changes, and with the sense that he did not have the control over the newspaper that he was promised.

On Monday night, both Mr. Murdoch and Mr. Brauchli attended a dinner of the Atlantic Council, a group promoting international cooperation, at which Mr. Murdoch was being honored. Approached there, Mr. Murdoch declined to comment about any change in editors; Mr. Brauchli said, “I can’t talk.”

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photo: Marc Bryan-Brown Photography, via WSJ

Feb 11, Vault

Researching salary information at specific companies? Check out Vault's Salary Surveys and get detailed info on salaries, bonuses, benefits, and more at 5,000+ major employers.

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image by vault.com

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE

Jan 29, Business Week

SAN FRANCISCO

Yahoo Inc.'s financial funk deepened at the end of 2007, prompting the slumping Internet icon to draw up plans to lay off as many as 1,000 workers.

The Sunnyvale-based company disclosed the upcoming 7 percent reduction in its 14,300-employee work force Tuesday while reviewing a 23 percent drop in fourth-quarter profit and a cautious 2008 outlook. The bad news sent Yahoo shares skidding to their lowest levels in more than four years.

In a prepared statement, Yahoo Chief Executive Jerry Yang warned of looming "headwinds," indicating that the company's tortuous turnaround efforts aren't likely to pay off this year.

"I'm surprised by how slowly they seem to be moving," said Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Derek Brown. "Yahoo still has quite a bit of work ahead."

Yahoo shares dropped $2.09, or more than 10 percent, in extended trading Tuesday after finishing the regular session at $20.81, up 3 cents. The company's market value has plunged more than 50 percent since the end of 2005, wiping out $35 billion in shareholder wealth.

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photo by flickr.com