SAP to pay $6.8 billion for Business Objects

SAP, the world's largest maker of business-management software, said Sunday it will buy Business Objects for more than 4.8 billion euros ($6.8 billion), adding products that help companies analyze data.

The German company will pay 42 euros ($59.35) in cash for each Business Objects share, 20 percent more than Friday's closing price.

Business Objects, based in a Paris suburb, is the world's largest maker of software to track corporate databases. The purchase is the biggest since SAP's 1972 founding.

Business Objects' customers include Boeing.

UPS

Freight workers OK Teamsters pact

United Parcel Service freight workers in Indianapolis ratified a new five-year contract reached by the Teamsters union that raises workers' wages and boosts the company's contributions to pensions and benefits.

The contract, which covers 125 freight employees, is considered to be the first step toward unionizing UPS' freight work force of about 15,000.

Chrysler, UAW

Progress reported but strike possible

DETROIT — Negotiators with the United Auto Workers and Chrysler have made progress toward a new four-year contract, but the union has notified the company a strike is possible, a person briefed on the talks said Sunday.

The union gave Chrysler a 72-hour notice of a potential strike, the person said.

Bargainers made progress during the weekend but still have much work to do on difficult issues, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The UAW represents about 49,000 Chrysler workers.

Gasoline

Price at pump slides 4 cents

The price of gasoline at the pump fell four cents in the past two weeks to an average $2.75 a gallon, Trilby Lundberg said, citing her survey of 7,000 filling stations nationwide.

"There is no down trend coming that I can see," Lundberg said. "I am expecting a rise, not further declines, because the gasoline market is tight."

The highest average price for self-serve regular was $3.09 in Honolulu. The lowest was in Newark, N.J., at $2.52.

Google

Court: Ex-manager can sue for age bias

A 54-year-old former Google manager who claimed he was fired after a supervisor told him his opinions were "too old to matter" had his age-discrimination lawsuit reinstated.

Reversing a Santa Clara County trial judge, the state's Sixth District Court of Appeal ruled last week that Brian Reid deserves to have a jury hear the evidence that he says shows Google routinely gave older managers lower evaluations and smaller bonuses than younger managers.

The Mountain View, Calif., search-engine company has denied Reid's allegations but also refused to say why he was fired.

Compiled from The Associated Press, Reuters and Bloomberg News