Recently, the players' union had voted to strike if a new labor contract wasn't agreed to prior to the first game.

The Union's game on Thursday kicks off the 15th MLS season.

Danny Califf, the Union's veteran defender and player representative, said yesterday in a conference call that the players were prepared not to make the trip to Seattle if an agreement had not been reached by midnight tomorrow.

"I felt like I was really excited about Seattle, but at the same time, a bit reserved," Califf said. "Now that it is done, I can really feel the excitement for real."

Major League Soccer and its players signed a five-year labor contract that avoided a strike scheduled before the MLS season opener March 25.

Negotiators began intensive talks Thursday in Washington and the deal was signed shortly after 1 p.m. yesterday.

MLS players' union head Bob Foose said a majority of players will receive guaranteed contracts for the first time and there will be increased player rights within the league when contracts expire.

Major League Soccer and its players signed an agreement in principle Saturday on a five-year labor contract that avoided a strike scheduled before next week's season opener.

Negotiators began intensive talks Thursday in Washington, and the deal was signed shortly after 1 p.m. EDT Saturday, about 51/2 hours before the opening of $200-million Red Bull Arena, the league's latest showpiece stadium.

"This can all be a positive relationship going forward," Galaxy star Landon Donovan said. "Going forward we're going to have a real relationship with the league as opposed to being combative at times."

NEW YORK - Major League Soccer's collective bargaining agreement was set to expire Thursday night after players balked at a third short-term extension. While the union's decision left open the possibility of the league's first strike, players said they won't walk off just yet.

The sides, whose five-year contract initially was due to expire Jan. 31, have not met since Monday's session in Washington, D.C.

Despite voting to authorize a strike yesterday, Stop & Shop union workers gave their union leadership and management another week to reach a new labor contract.

While the company's contracts with more than 40,000 employees expired Saturday, the five unions representing those workers in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut agreed to resume negotiating tomorrow. Under the extension, no work stoppage could occur until after midnight Saturday.

NEW YORK - The union for Major League Soccer players accused management of failing to bargain seriously and wouldn't say whether it will play under the terms of its expired labor contract.

A day after MLS president Mark Abbott went public with the league's offer to start the season next month without a new deal, the union issued a pair of statements that weren't directly responsive and left open the possibility of the league's first strike.

A Southern California borax mine operated by London-based Rio Tinto has locked out about 570 hourly workers after the two sides failed to reach a deal on a new labor contract.

The mine in Boron shut its gates at 7 a.m. Sunday, as employees and their families showed up saying they wanted to work. Replacement workers were brought in to do the jobs of the locked out employees.

Rio Tinto has been negotiating with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 30 for the last five months. The union is resisting proposed changes in the seniority system.

The giant Rio Tinto Borax mine in Boron locked out about 540 hourly workers Sunday after the employee union refused to ratify a new labor contract.

The lockout began at 7 a.m. as miners showed up outside the gates and were told they couldn't come in. Replacements were brought in to do their jobs.

"It's obviously a drastic measure and I am well aware of the fact that this has very real consequences to our employees. It's not a bully tactic, but it's our only real alternative," said Dean Gehring, general manager of the mine.

Jan. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Harley-Davidson Inc., the largest U.S. motorcycle maker, posted its first quarterly loss since 1993 as consumers put off purchases of premium models.

The loss of $218.7 million, or 94 cents a share, compared with net income of $77.8 million, or 34 cents, a year earlier, the Milwaukee-based company said today in a statement. Sales fell 40 percent to $764.5 million.

Harley Chief Executive Officer Keith Wandell has been pushing through changes to improve profitability, including winning a new labor contract.

For the first time in more than three decades, UAW members at Ford Motor Co. are on track to reject a labor contract negotiated by their company and union leaders.

A majority of workers at UAW locals that voted this week have rejected the deal, but several large locals have not finished voting yet. At Ford's Dearborn Truck Plant, which is part of the larger UAW Local 600, 93% of workers voted to reject, two UAW officials said Friday.

* More UAW local units vote to reject Ford U.S. deal * UAW says no plans to revote or resume Ford talks * Ford reaches tentative deal with Canadian workers By Bernie Woodall and David Bailey DETROIT, Oct 30 (Reuters) - The United Auto Workers unionhas no plans to seek a new vote if workers reject a tentativeagreement with Ford Motor Co (F.N), or to resume talks with theautomaker, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said on Friday. The tightening of tensions over the labor contract in theUnited States came as leaders of the Canadian Auto Workersunion announced a tentative pact with Ford that gives workersproduction commitments in exchange for concessions.

UAW members have ratified changes to the labor contract with General Motors that the automaker says will make the company competitive.

The deal was one of the final pieces of a GM restructuring to fall into place before the company files for bankruptcy reorganization, a move expected to occur Monday.

WASHINGTON (CNNMoney.com) -- The United Auto Workers union Friday overwhelmingly ratified a labor deal with General Motors that included concessions, but is not enough to keep the company out of bankruptcy.

Seventy-four percent of UAW members voted for the contract, which will allow the company to cut costs and "eliminate the wage and benefit gap" with competitors, according to the UAW president and a statement from GM.

May 21 (Bloomberg) -- The United Auto Workers said itreached a tentative agreement with General Motors Corp. and theU.S. Treasury to modify the carmaker’s 2007 labor contract and ahealth-care trust for union retirees.

The UAW said it is withholding details until it schedulesand conducts explanatory and ratification meetings for members,which are being scheduled. Local leaders will learn details onMay 26, people familiar with the plan said. GM faces a probablebankruptcy filing by June 1, the government’s deadline for thecompany to restructure outside of court.

DENVER — With the threat of a strike looming, Safeway agreed to resume negotiations with its union workers a day after they authorized a strike, a company spokeswoman said Sunday.

The labor contract between Safeway and its workers expired Saturday night without a new labor agreement and workers were planning to walk off their jobs as soon as Monday.

The grocery chain remains "committed to negotiating new agreements which recognize the realities of the current economy and the highly competitive retail food market in Colorado," said Safeway spokeswoman Kristine Staaf.

DALLAS -- Southwest Airlines Co. said Tuesday it reached a tentative agreement to give pay raises to about 5,300 customer-service employees.

Southwest didn't say how big the pay raises would be. It said the 4-year deal also includes benefit increases in exchange for giving the company more scheduling flexibility and productivity improvements.

The agreement, which still needs ratification by employees, is retroactive to last year and runs through October 2012.