LABOR

Caterpillar, Union Meet for Two Hours: Negotiators for Caterpillar Inc. and the United Auto Workers met twice Wednesday morning but did not resume contract talks later in the day as scheduled. Caterpillar spokesman Bill Lane said the two sides did not return to the bargaining table after lunch. Instead, the union held a caucus meeting and scheduled a news conference to discuss its position. Lane declined to comment on the substance of the talks. The talks affect 16,000 factory workers in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Tennessee. More than half of them are idled by a strike, which started Nov. 4 after contract talks collapsed.