Not even McDonald’s Corp. has an iron stomach when it comes to the global economic downturn. The world’s largest hamburger chain has thrived in boom and bust times by selling cheap eats and constantly updating its menu with popular items ...

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Out of academy, into in-house For Allie M. Wright, fighting cases in-house at a company is just as challenging as combat in the courtroom. “I’m really here to battle everything that needs to be battled on behalf of the company,” ...

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Safeway and Giant Food workers in the Baltimore-Washington region have approved a new contract with wage increases. The United Food and Commercial Workers announced approval Tuesday of the agreement that also maintains key benefits and strengthens retirement security. The new ...

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WASHINGTON — Consumer prices rose modestly in January on higher costs for food, gas, rent and clothing. But economists downplayed the increase, saying inflation will likely ease in the coming months as prices for raw materials level off. Separately, a ...

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WASHINGTON — The number of available jobs in the United States jumped in December to near a three-year high, supporting other data that show a brighter outlook for hiring. Companies and governments posted 3.38 million jobs in December, the Labor ...

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DETROIT — Factory workers at Chrysler will get profit-sharing checks of about $1,500 next month as they share in the automaker’s improbable turnaround. About 26,000 union-represented workers in the U.S. should get the payments under Chrysler’s contract with the United ...

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WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesale prices fell last month because companies paid less for food and energy, evidence that inflation remains tame. The Labor Department said Wednesday that the producer price index, which measures price changes before they reach consumers, ...

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WASHINGTON — Retail sales barely rose in December, but the gain was enough to lift sales to a record level for 2011. It marked the largest annual increase in more than a decade. Sales inched up 0.1 percent in December ...

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WASHINGTON — Applications for weekly unemployment benefits spiked last week, largely because companies let go of thousands of workers after the holiday season. Weekly applications rose by 24,000 to a seasonally adjusted 399,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. That’s the ...

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WASHINGTON — The nation added 200,000 jobs in December in a burst of hiring that drove the unemployment rate to its lowest in almost three years. The figures raised hopes that the economy might finally be healthy enough to power ...

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