Employer-Paid

United Continental Holdings Inc. said on Thursday that it will issue notes to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. under a series of payouts that could eventually total $500 million.

Until recently, the Minneapolis-based discounter largely had avoided the labor disputes and public relations challenges that have plagued Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer. But now Target could face the same union opposition as its much bigger rival.

With time running short to keep the NFL's preseason completely intact, owners and player representatives met Thursday at a Manhattan law firm to try and overcome the remaining obstacles to ending the fourth-month-long lockout.

Fewer people sought unemployment benefits last week, an encouraging sign the job market may be slowly improving.

As companies battle strained budgets during the recession, more and more are offering innovative perks to keep employees engaged, particularly as traditional employee benefit costs continue to rise.

Think back four months to that disappointing day in March when the NFL lockout began. The general opinion was the owners and players would reach a new labor agreement long before training camps opened.