Union workers at eight U.S. refineries go on strike after talks stall
Workers at U.S. eight oil refineries went on strike Monday after a national contract covering more than 65 plants expired.
Negotiations between the United Steelworkers and major producers, including ExxonMobil and Shell, stalled late Saturday after the union rejected a fifth offer made by a group of oil companies, CNN Money said.
LyondellBasell Industries’ plant in Houston, Shell’s refinery and chemical plant in Deer Park, Marathon Petroleum’s plants in Galveston and Kentucky and three Tesoro plants in Washington and southern California will all be affected by the strike.
The union said the plants it represents account for nearly two-thirds of refining capacity in the United States.
Workers at other facilities continue to work under a 24 hour rolling contract extension.
The union has not disclosed how long it expects the strike to last.
Workers said they are concerned about current safety standards at many plants.
“It’s not the money. It’s all about working safely,” accident investigator Joel Clay told Fuel Fix.
The union’s key demands include wage raises, having employers cover a larger part of health insurance premiums, cutting the number of non-union contractors that can work at a facility, improving safety, reducing overtime and fixing understaffing issues.
Shell said it will continue normal operations using a contingency plan and is hoping to restart negotiations as soon as possible.
ExxonMobil said it “remains actively engaged in good faith negotiations with the union.”