a) Below is an excerpt from an article regarding the United-Continental Merger (WSJ, 9/27/11). The article is in connection with a lawsuit the unions filed against United. Jeff Smisek is the CEO of United. Do you think that the merger will make labor negotiations easier or harder than if the two companies had stayed separate? (One short paragraph please. Think long and write short..) "Mr. Smisek initially expected United would be able to reach common labor agreements with all its workers by the end of this year. But in recent months he has conceded that he was overly ambitious and that the "cumbersome" process of employees selecting which unions will represent them in the combined company has slowed progress. He also has warned that United isn't going to agree to contracts it can't afford. Capt. Wendy Morse, union chief of the United pilots who sued the company Monday, said the lawsuit aims to halt unsafe training procedures the union complains are being rushed to complete the merger. "There is no stopping, no taking inventory," she said. "It's just proceed, proceed, proceed."