LABOR

UAW Charges Unfair Labor Practices by Caterpillar: The United Auto Workers said it would file an unfair labor practice charge against Caterpillar Inc. after the breakdown of talks aimed at ending a nearly 5-month-old strike. The union said the filing with the National Labor Relations Board would accuse the construction equipment manufacturer or its security firm of taking picket signs from union members, threatening them and improperly videotaping them at the Aurora, Ill., and York, Pa., plants. Caterpillar spokesman Wayne Zimmerman expressed frustration over the impasse in negotiations and defended the company’s use of reasonable security precautions during the strike. “Caterpillar considers the charges just another effort by the union to distract attention from the central issue in this dispute,” Zimmerman said.