Smallest U.S. Wage Increase on Record Muddies Pay Picture

``Signs of a nascent pickup in U.S. worker pay proved fleeting as wages and salaries climbed in the second quarter at the slowest pace on record. The 0.2 percent advance was the smallest in data going back to 1982 and followed a 0.7 percent increase in the first quarter, the Labor Department said Friday. In the 12 months ended June, wages and salaries were up 2.1 percent compared with a 2.6 percent year-over-year gain in the first quarter.''