IN BRIEF

WASHINGTON

Private employers boost
U.S. job openings in April

Job openings jumped in April to the highest level in 16 months, a sign that private employers may boost hiring in coming months.

The number of jobs advertised at the end of April rose to 3.1 million from 2.8 million in March, the Labor Department said Tuesday. That's the most openings since December 2008.

Private employers accounted for the entire net gain. The government's advertising for jobs decreased, despite the hiring of hundreds of thousands of census workers in May.

The department's report, known as the Job Openings and Labor Turnover survey, or JOLTS, follows a disappointing employment report Friday that found private employers added only 41,000 jobs in May. Temporary census hiring accounted for 411,000 jobs. The unemployment rate fell to 9.7 percent from 9.9 percent in April.

The rise in job openings "makes you a little more upbeat about the labor market," said Michael Feroli, chief U.S. economist at JPMorgan Chase.

CHICAGO

Chicken nuggets, iced tea boost McDonald's sales in May

McDonald's Corp. extended its winning streak in May as customers bought more of the fast-food chain's cheap eats and took to its new iced-coffee line, the world's largest burger chain said Tuesday.

McDonald's also said it will take a hit to its full-year profit because of the weak euro, which accounts for about 25 percent of its operating income. The burger chain said the effect will be minimal in the second quarter.

Sales in locations open at least a year rose 4.8 percent around the globe last month. The measure rose 3.4 percent in the U.S. to extend a streak of gains recorded since February.

The figure climbed 5.7 percent in Europe and 3.8 percent in other regions.

Sales from locations open at least a year are a key indicator of a restaurant chain's performance because they exclude growth at stores that open or close during the year.

CEO Jim Skinner said U.S. sales are being driven by the company's new icy drinks, its 20-piece chicken nuggets being sold for about $5.65 and "Shrek"-themed Happy Meals.

WASHINGTON

Spirit to partner with other
air carriers if pilots strike

Spirit Airlines said it will work with other air carriers to keep flying if its pilots strike on Saturday.

Spirit spokeswoman Misty Pinson said on Tuesday that the airline is "partnering with other air carrier providers to continue to serve our customers." She declined to identify whom Spirit planned to work with, or to say how much of its schedule it will maintain in a strike.

Spirit is negotiating a new contract with its pilots, who are in a 30-day "cooling-off period" mandated by federal law before they can strike or the company locks them out. If there's no deal, the pilots have said they will walk out when the cooling-off period ends at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. The talks are being held in Washington and are guided by the National Mediation Board.

Spirit is a small, privately held carrier based in Miramar, Fla. It operates about 150 flights per day, many of them from the eastern U.S. to Latin America.

Sean Creed, a Spirit captain and the head of its Air Line Pilots Association unit, doubted that the airline had arrangements that would keep it flying through a strike.

LV Sands teams up with Barona Casino on promotion

Las Vegas Sands Corp. has teamed up with the Barona Casino, one of the larger American Indian properties in San Diego, to draw more Southern California customers to the Strip.

Barona customers can now redeem their points earned at the casino in east San Diego County at both The Venetian and Palazzo, which will offer those players complimentary hotel, dining and gaming deals.

The relationship may be one of the first of its kind.

"It's a win-win-win for all of us," Barona general manager Rick Salinas said. "Our frequent casino guests occasionally want the Las Vegas experience and their gamblers occasionally want the San Diego experience. We're not competing with Las Vegas any more. We're actually complementing Las Vegas and Las Vegas is complementing us."

The Venetian and Palazzo plan to reach out to Barona customers with various offers.

David G. Schwartz, director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, told the San Diego Union-Tribune the arrangement allows the rural Barona to offer customers something it isn't -- the Strip.

Barona's casino has 2,000 slot machines and 80 table games.

WASHINGTON

GM recalls 1.5 million vehicles on heated wiper fluid concerns

General Motors Co. said Tuesday it was recalling about 1.5 million vehicles worldwide to address a problem with a heated windshield wiper fluid system that could lead to a fire, its second recall over the issue in two years.

The recall affects several pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles, crossovers and passenger car models from the 2006 to 2009 model years. GM conducted a similar recall in 2008 but came across new reports of fires in vehicles that had been fixed.

GM said it would disable the heated washer fluid system module that could lead to fires. The automaker will pay owners and those leasing vehicles $100 each since the feature is being disabled.

The recall covers the 2006-2009 model year Buick Lucerne, Cadillac DTS, and Hummer H2; 2008-2009 Buick Enclave and Cadillac CTS; 2007-2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV and Escalade EXT; 2007-2009 Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado, Suburban and Tahoe; 2007-2009 GMC Acadia, Sierra, Yukon and Yukon XL; 2007-2009 Saturn Outlook; and 2009 Chevrolet Traverse.