• From Bloomberg:
"Applications for US unemployment benefits remained historically low last week, highlighting ongoing strength in the labor market. Initial jobless claims ticked up slightly to 207,000 in the week ending Sept. 30, according to Labor Department data out Thursday … Continuing claims, a proxy for the number of people receiving unemployment benefits, were also little changed at 1.7 million in the week through Sept. 23.
"The resilient labor market has continued to power consumer spending in the face of high inflation and interest rates. Demand for workers remains solid and the layoffs that made headlines earlier this year have largely eased."
• From Fox Business:
"Starbucks — facing a growing push for unionization across the nation — is asking the Supreme Court to review how the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) files injunctions after a judge forced the company to rehire Memphis workers tied to unionizing efforts.
"The company argues that some federal courts make it easier for the labor board to obtain an injunction, such as the one that handled the case in Memphis. Under the National Labor Relations Act, the labor board is allowed to seek 'temporary injunctions against employers and unions in federal courts to stop serious unfair labor practices while a case moves through the Board's process'."
Starbucks essentially is taking the position that "different federal courts of appeals have adopted different tests for how hard it is for the labor board to obtain preliminary injunctions though all the courts are purporting to interpret the same federal law … The company is trying to force circuits to have the same standard for imposing injunctions, so its doesn't face different legal standards depending on where a store is located."
