US Refinery Workers Prepare to Strike Today, Representing 64% of Our Refinery Capacity

http://bit.ly/1zfNXza Oil company and union representatives started talks Wednesday for a new nationwide contract covering hourly workers at 63 US refineries that together represent 64% of the refinery capacity in the US, a union spokesperson told Reuters. The three-year agreement between the oil companies and United Steelworkers union (USW) that's in place now is scheduled to expire on February 1. Shell is leading the talks on behalf of the companies, which range from larger companies like BP and ExxonMobil to smaller firms like Delek and HollyFrontier Corp, Reuters reported. USW International VP Gary Beevers will lead the union side of the talks, representing the hourly workers. He'll be joined by the USW's Administrative Vice President Tom Conway. The workers want annual pay raises double what was secured in the last agreement. The USW also wants work given to non-union contractors to go to its members. It also seeks a stricter policy to prevent fatigue and decreases in members' out-of-pocket health care payments, the news agency said. Shell spokesperson Ray Fisher said, "We are optimistic that a mutually satisfactory agreement can be negotiated with the USW." In an interview prior to the beginning of the negotiations, Beevers said, "I’m going into this round of bargaining like I have every single one, with the hopes that we're going to come out with a contract that's mutually agreeable and beneficial to all the parties...If we don't get there, our members are mobilized." Reuters reports that oil companies have put in place measures to deal with a potential work stoppage, including training managers and non-union workers to take over refinery operations if union members strike on February 1. http://bit.ly/1Ahay26