Merger

After sitting out a recent series of airline mergers, Tempe, Ariz.-based US Airways Group Inc. wants to hook up with American Airlines. But American's parent company, AMR Corp., which is mired in Bankruptcy Court, said it's not interested - at least for now. American, ranked as the nation's fourth-largest airline, operates 617 planes, with an additional 281 jets operated by its regional carrier, American Eagle. US Airways ranks as the country's fifth-largest airline and operates about 340 jets.

After sitting out a recent series of airline mergers, Tempe, Ariz.-based US Airways Group Inc. wants to hook up with American Airlines. But American's parent company, AMR Corp., which is mired in Bankruptcy Court, said it's not interested - at least for now. American, ranked as the nation's fourth-largest airline, operates 617 planes, with an additional 281 jets operated by its regional carrier, American Eagle. US Airways ranks as the country's fifth-largest airline and operates about 340 jets.

Merger after merger, quick and slick, Worsening an economy already sick-- Where is Teddy Roosevelt with his big stick? CECIL SMITH Palm Desert

US Airways Group Inc., with new backing by three unions representing nearly 55,000 American Airlines employees, is angling for a merger between the two airline companies, according to statements made Friday. Combining with bankrupt American Airlines “represents a unique opportunity that we should not ignore,” said US Airways Chief Executive Doug Parker in a letter to employees . The deal would “create a preeminent airline” that could “compete successfully with United, Delta and other carriers.” Though AA's parent company, AMR Corp., would have to first agree to a merger, US Airways has already signed agreements with three major AA unions laying out how collective bargaining pacts would look should a deal go through.

Kinecta Federal Credit Union of Manhattan Beach and NuVision Federal Credit Union of Huntington Beach have called off a plan to combine in one of the biggest mergers in the history of the industry. With roots deep in Southern California's aerospace industry, Kinecta and NuVision had been working on the merger for a year and a half. They had hoped their deal would close early this year, but said in a recent joint statement that in the tough current economy it would have taken them two more years to integrate their operations.

Sprouts Farmers Market has agreed to merge with the Sunflower Farmers Market chain, creating one of the largest natural-food grocery chains in the West, the companies announced. The combined company will operate 139 stores in eight states under the Sprouts name and will have about 10,000 employees. The transaction, which still requires regulatory approval, was expected to close this summer, with all Sunflower stores branded as Sprouts by the end of the year. By adding Sunflower's 35 stores, Sprouts would expand its reach to Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Oklahoma.

US Airways Group Inc., with new backing by three unions representing nearly 55,000 American Airlines employees, is angling for a merger between the two airline companies, according to statements made Friday. Combining with bankrupt American Airlines “represents a unique opportunity that we should not ignore,” said US Airways Chief Executive Doug Parker in a letter to employees . The deal would “create a preeminent airline” that could “compete successfully with United, Delta and other carriers.” Though AA's parent company, AMR Corp., would have to first agree to a merger, US Airways has already signed agreements with three major AA unions laying out how collective bargaining pacts would look should a deal go through.

Whatever the ultimate impact of AOL's $315-million acquisition of the Huffington Post on the new-media landscape, it's already clear that the merger will push more journalists more deeply into the tragically expanding low-wage sector of our increasingly brutal economy. That's a development that will hurt not only the people who gather and edit the news but also readers and viewers. To understand why, it's helpful to step back from the wide-eyed coverage focused on foundering AOL's last-ditch effort to stave off the oblivion of irrelevance, or Brentwood-based Arianna Huffington's astonishing commercial achievement in taking her Web news portal from startup to commercial success in less than six years.

When members of Hollywood's two biggest actors unions gathered at the National Labor College in Maryland last summer, it was hardly a love fest. Representatives of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists were meeting to talk about merging their unions. But there was plenty of apprehension on both sides, given the years of turf wars and personality clashes that had caused a bitter fight between the unions in 2008. Needing a mediator to help build trust and facilitate the delicate negotiations to combine two very different unions, SAG and AFTRA turned to Susan Schurman, a onetime bus driver and union leader turned academic who was the founding president of the AFL-CIO-sponsored National Labor College and was adept at training union officials.

Recent notable cases in which the U.S. government has tried to stop a corporate merger: 1997: The Federal Trade Commission blocks the merger of office-supply superstore chains Staples Inc. and Office Depot Inc. 1998: The Justice Department sues to block Lockheed Martin Corp.'s $11.6-billion acquisition of aviation rival Northrop Grumman Corp. Four months later, Lockheed drops its bid. 2000: The $120-billion merger of long-distance telephone companies WorldCom Inc. and Sprint Corp.

Question: What in the world is going on with airfares? I'm seeing airfares of more than $1,000 to European destinations and about half that for New York and Boston. Say it isn't so. Or at least say it won't last. Answer: I'm getting this question from leisure travelers who are seeing summer fares that may put their vacations on ice. And - are you sitting down? - it's probably not going to get better any time soon. Airfare experts point to three factors that are driving costs.

Creating Hollywood's largest entertainment union, members of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists have voted overwhelmingly to form a single bargaining unit. In an resounding show of support, SAG members voted 82% in favor of the merger, while AFTRA members voted 86% in favor. That was well above the 60% threshold needed for the combination to take effect. The historic vote comes nearly two years after union leaders began discussions to merge in a bid to gain more leverage in contract negotiations with studios and to end a long history of jurisdictional disputes and feuding over negotiating strategy.

Sprouts Farmers Market has agreed to merge with the Sunflower Farmers Market chain, creating one of the largest natural-food grocery chains in the West, the companies announced. The combined company will operate 139 stores in eight states under the Sprouts name and will have about 10,000 employees. The transaction, which still requires regulatory approval, was expected to close this summer, with all Sunflower stores branded as Sprouts by the end of the year. By adding Sunflower's 35 stores, Sprouts would expand its reach to Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Oklahoma.

The latest step in the merger of two of the nation's largest airlines -- United Air Lines and Continental Airlines -- was plagued with glitches over the weekend, but most of the airline's flights were on schedule by Sunday. The merger announced in 2010 will form the largest airline in the nation, under the name United. Many planes have yet to be repainted to carry the new United logo, but airline officials say the merger should be completed by the end of the year. On Saturday, all flights previously booked on Continental became United flights.

Kinecta Federal Credit Union of Manhattan Beach and NuVision Federal Credit Union of Huntington Beach have called off a plan to combine in one of the biggest mergers in the history of the industry. With roots deep in Southern California's aerospace industry, Kinecta and NuVision had been working on the merger for a year and a half. They had hoped their deal would close early this year, but said in a recent joint statement that in the tough current economy it would have taken them two more years to integrate their operations.

With more cash on hand than ever as well as low interest rates, companies are likely to boost their merger and acquisition activity this year, according to a new report. Of the 825 executives surveyed by audit and tax advisory firm KPMG and the research arm of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, Knowledge@Wharton, 34% said they're feeling more optimistic about deal-making this year. About four in 10 feel the same as they did last year; only 2% are significantly less hopeful.

The Justice Department said Friday that it had approved the proposed union of United and Continental airlines, after an unexpectedly speedy four-month review that paves the way for the merger to close before Thanksgiving. To win the blessing of federal antitrust regulators, United and Continental agreed to lease slots for 18 round-trip flights to Southwest Airlines at Newark Liberty International Airport, giving the low-cost carrier its second foothold at a major airport servicing New York City.

CVS Caremark Corp. is being investigated by a multi-state task force looking into the consequences of the company's 2007 purchase of Caremark Rx Inc., Florida's attorney general's office said Wednesday. Florida is conducting a review of the merger that created the largest U.S. supplier of prescription drugs, the state attorney general's office said. Florida is working with other states, the office said. The Caremark unit provides pharmacy-benefits management to employers and accounted for about half of the company's 2009 sales of $98.7 billion.

Ed Asner and Valerie Harper are teaming up on a new project: an attempt to take down the proposed merger of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Asner and Harper, who starred in the 1970s "Mary Tyler Moore" TV series, have joined other high-profile actors including Ed Harris and Martin Sheen in filing a lawsuit in federal court in Los Angeles on Wednesday seeking an injunction to stop SAG from holding a vote on a proposed merger with AFTRA.

When members of Hollywood's two biggest actors unions gathered at the National Labor College in Maryland last summer, it was hardly a love fest. Representatives of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists were meeting to talk about merging their unions. But there was plenty of apprehension on both sides, given the years of turf wars and personality clashes that had caused a bitter fight between the unions in 2008. Needing a mediator to help build trust and facilitate the delicate negotiations to combine two very different unions, SAG and AFTRA turned to Susan Schurman, a onetime bus driver and union leader turned academic who was the founding president of the AFL-CIO-sponsored National Labor College and was adept at training union officials.