ENERGY

National Grid gas workers reject contract

National Grid gas workers on Sunday voted down a contract offer that would raise health care costs and cut benefits, according to United Steelworkers Local 12003, which represents 800 employees who work for National Grid’s gas utility. Both sides said they plan to go back to the bargaining table to reach a deal on the contract, which expires Sunday. The proposed collective bargaining agreement includes higher medical copayments and deductibles for current workers as well as retirees, said Local 12003 president Joe Kirylo. It also would also reduce sick and vacation days and eliminate pensions for new hires. Union members rejected the deal 497-64, Kirylo said. “If people in the Local were just voting for their own personal benefits, that’s one thing,’’ he said. “They were asking this Local to [hurt] the retirees and [hurt] the people in the community that are eventually coming here to work.’’ The union voted to authorize a strike a few months ago, but Kirylo stressed the union is committed to negotiating an equitable agreement. “We regret that the union has rejected the offer of a long-term contract that we consider balanced and very fair to our employees,’’ National Grid said in a statement. — KATIE JOHNSTON

FOOD

Kraft quietly changes mac and cheese recipe

Kraft Heinz revealed on Monday that, three months ago, it quietly stripped its signature Mac & Cheese dinners of the artificial flavors, preservatives, and dyes that had forged the essence of the gooey, neon noodles since 1937. It substituted ingredients such as Yellow #5 with spices such as paprika, turmeric, and annatto. But without a big marketing push or packaging changes, virtually no one noticed, the company said — it sold 50 million boxes of Mac & Cheese in the three-month period, as usual. The reason the company went into stealth mode was to combat consumer perceptions that tinkering with the recipe would hurt the taste. — BLOOMBERG

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Verizon to pay $1.35m fine for ‘supercookie’

Verizon will pay a $1.35 million fine over its ‘‘supercookie’’ that the government said followed phone customers on the Internet without their permission. Verizon will also have to get an explicit ‘‘yes’’ from customers for some kinds of tracking. The supercookies got their name because they were hard, or near-impossible, to block. Verizon uses them to deliver targeted ads to cellphone customers. The company wants to expand its advertising and media business and bought AOL for its digital ad technology in 2015. The Federal Communications Commission said Monday that it found that Verizon began using the supercookies with consumers in December 2012, but didn’t disclose the program until October 2014. — ASSOCIATED PRESS

FINANCE

Wall Street bonuses down 9 percent

Average Wall Street bonuses were down 9 percent last year to $146,200 as industry profits declined, New York’s comptroller reported Monday. Industry-wide profits decreased by 10.5 percent, according to the annual estimate from state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. The comptroller said revenues were weak, especially from trading and underwriting. Profits were at their lowest reported level since 2011. Pre-tax profits for the broker/dealer operations of New York Stock Exchange member firms declined by about $1.7 billion to $14.3 billion last year. While the first half of the year was strong, the industry reported a loss of $177 million in the fourth quarter. It was the first quarterly loss since 2011, according to the comptroller. The average salary, including bonuses, for securities industry employees in New York City increased by 14 percent in 2014 to a record $404,800. — ASSOCIATED PRESS

PUBLISHING

McGraw-Hill digital sales surpass print for first time

McGraw-Hill Education, one of the largest publishers of school textbooks, said sales of its digital content and online programs surpassed print sales for the first time last year. The company has been investing heavily on its digital learning tools used in classrooms. Its online programs let teachers assign work to students, build lesson plans, and manage grades. Students can use it to learn, hand in work, and communicate with teachers. McGraw-Hill Education said Friday that new users of its Connect platform, used in colleges, rose 16 percent in 2015 from the previous year. New users of its LearnSmart and SmartBook program, used by college students to read course materials, rose 18 percent. New users of ALEKS, used by grade schools and colleges, had a 14 percent rise. — ASSOCIATED PRESS

INTERNATIONAL

Shell pays $1.95b to Iran after sanctions lifted

Royal Dutch Shell Plc has paid off its 1.77 billion-euro ($1.95 billion) debt to Iran for past crude purchases following the end of sanctions against the country. The dues were paid in euro-denominated transactions during the last three weeks, Shell said in an e-mailed statement on Monday. Shell owed the money to National Iranian Oil Co. for crude oil purchases made before the Islamic Republic was put under sanctions in 2012 by the European Union and the United States. The restrictions were lifted in January, opening up the route for crude oil flows from Iran to Europe. Some restrictions, including trade in US dollars, remain. — BLOOMBERG

FEDERAL RESERVE

Fed officials differ on inflation

Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer said Monday that inflation in the United States may be starting to tick up from too-low levels, a key condition for further interest rate hikes. ‘‘We may well at present be seeing the first stirrings of an increase in the inflation rate — something that we would like to happen,’’ he said in a speech in Washington. However, another Fed official, Lael Brainard, expressed uncertainty about whether an improving job market would be enough to bolster inflation, given persistently low oil prices and a strong dollar. Inflation has ‘‘persistently underperformed’’ relative to the Fed’s target of annual price gains of 2 percent, she said in a separate speech Monday. — ASSOCIATED PRESS

ENTERTAINMENT

Supreme Court stays out of fight over Batmobile

The Supreme Court is staying out of a copyright dispute involving a California man who produced replicas of the Batmobile for car-collecting fans of the caped crusader. The justices on Monday let stand a lower court ruling that said the Batmobile’s bat-like appearance and high-tech gadgets make it a character that can’t be duplicated without permission from DC Comics, the copyright holder. Mark Towle produced replicas of the car as it appeared in the 1966 television show featuring Adam West as Batman (above) and the 1989 movie starring Michael Keaton. He sold them for about $90,000 each. The US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit Court last year sided with DC Comics in finding that the Batmobile is entitled to copyright protection. — ASSOCIATED PRESS