Nevertheless, the Labor Department's closely watched employment report on Friday is expected to still show the labor market remaining tight.
PROGRESS ON INFLATIONBut the overall labor market remains upbeat, with first time applications for state unemployment benefits hovering at very low levels.
Slowing wage inflation is corroborated by other measures like the Atlanta Fed's wage tracker, which has come off its peaks.
Financial markets see a nearly 70% chance of the Fed keeping its policy rate unchanged at its June 13-14 meeting, according to CME Group's FedWatch Tool.
The Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics, which compiles the employment report, did not record the work stoppage in its May strike report.
Persons:
Bill Adams, Brian Bethune, Nancy Vanden Houten, Lucia Mutikani, Chizu
Organizations:
Federal Reserve, Labor, Comerica Bank, Data, Labor Department, Atlanta, Boston College, Fed, Writers Guild of America, Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics, Oxford Economics, Thomson
Locations:
y WASHINGTON, Dallas, New York