91.   But they fear that the slowing economy and reeling stock market will soon cause corporate America to clamp down on wage increases.

92.   But wage increases that merely keep up with productivity are not inflationary.

93.   But, several unions leaders acknowledged, if the first union to negotiate received a small wage increase, other city unions would reject pattern bargaining.

94.   But wage increases, instead of getting bigger, are getting smaller.

95.   By offering reasonable wage increases and not hiring permanent replacements, Caterpillar has minimized sympathy for striking workers and made it easier for workers to cross the picket line.

96.   Combined with hefty wage increases, it squeezed corporate profit margins and diverted job-creating investment abroad.

97.   Companies normally try to pass on the cost of wage increases to consumers of their products through price increases.

98.   Companies would then pay for the wage increases by raising their prices.

99.   Computers, for instance, have allowed U.S. workers to become more productive, which has helped companies offset the cost of wage increases.

100.   Concern about job security, lack of wage increases and expectations of higher taxes have persuaded Belgian consumers to hang on to their substantial savings rather than splash out.