Washington -- Forget the marches and strikes that once defined the union movement. Big labor is relying more on guile and theatrics than blunt force to attack the ascendancy of a new form of corporate ownership: private equity.

NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana's annual employment growth slowed in August as the national economy continued to stagger, but the state still showed a boost of 18,200 non-farm jobs from a year ago, the state labor department reported Thursday.

World stock markets fell Wednesday amid concerns about the global economy after further grim U.S. economic news and as the Big Three Detroit-based automakers pleaded to be bailed out by Congress.

The state Department of Labor, in conjunction with a number of law enforcement agencies across the region, announced Tuesday that 44 people have been charged for allegedly defrauding the state's unemployment insurance program.

Long Island's private-sector job market in June continued to show sluggish growth amid rising unemployment, according to New York State Labor Department data released yesterday.