WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015
(Reuters) - The largest U.S refinery workers strike since
1980 passed its 18th day on Wednesday but talks between union and oil company
representatives over safety and pay restarted after a gap of a week and went
into the night, according to a union text message.
More than 5,000 workers at 11 plants, including nine
refineries accounting for 13 percent of U.S. production capacity, remained on
strike on Wednesday.
"Industry responded to the information request and
engaged in discussions into the evening," the text message to United
Steelworkers union (USW) members read. "Still miles apart. Bargaining
continues tomorrow."
Talks between the USW and lead oil company negotiator Royal Dutch Shell Plc had been on hold as the
company drew up a response to an information request and a counterproposal from
the union.
"Shell resumed negotiations with the USW on Wednesday
and continues to work towards reaching a mutually satisfactory agreement,"
spokesman Ray Fisher said.
On Monday, the union's lead negotiator, International Vice
President Gary Beevers, told Reuters that safe staffing levels at refineries
and chemical plants remained a sticking point. The union also wants wage
increases.
The USW has issued no new strike notices since Feb. 6, when
workers at plants in Whiting, Indiana, and Toledo, Ohio, were told to walk off
their jobs the next day.
On Wednesday, the USW sent a text message to members after
an explosion at Exxon Mobil Corp's 149,500 barrel per day Los Angeles-area
refinery in Torrance, California.
The union said the blast, which injured four contract
workers, showed the urgency of its goal to negotiate safer working conditions.
"As USW pushes life-saving safety improvements,
explosion rocks Exxon Torrance," the message read. "Some injuries, no
fatalities. Safe refineries save lives."
Exxon said four workers at the Torrance refinery were taken
to hospital with injuries.
Lyondell Basell sent letters on Wednesday inviting more than
400 striking workers at its 263,776 bpd Houston refinery to cross picket lines
and return to work under terms of the previous contract.
A USW spokeswoman said the company should focus on working
with the union to improve safety.
"Our workers at that location are in solidarity with
what we're trying to achieve through the national pattern talks, which is
health and safety," said USW spokeswoman Lynne Hancock.
Tesoro Corp's 166,000-bpd plant in Martinez, California, was
the only refinery to cease operations due to the strike. Part of it was already
shut for maintenance and after the walkout started the rest was idled.
Tesoro officials have said production will not resume for
the duration of the strike.
Shell has rescheduled from March until September a planned
overhaul of a hydrocracking unit at its 327,000 barrels per day (bpd)
joint-venture refinery in Deer Park, Texas, sources told Reuters on Monday.
The USW is seeking a three-year, industrywide pact that
would cover 30,000 workers at 63 U.S. refineries that together account for
two-thirds of domestic capacity.
Companies have called on temporary replacement workers to
keep plants running at nearly normal levels. (Editing by Terry
Wade, Alden
Bentley, David
Gregorio and Alan Raybould)