HOUSTON (Reuters) – The United Steelworkers union (USW) seeks this week to renew talks with Chevron Corp over a six-week-old strike at the company’s Richmond, California, refinery, said a USW official.
The company and union haven’t met at the bargaining table in two weeks after each rejected the other’s proposal.
“We are going for a meeting this week,” said B.K. White, first vice president of USW Local 12-5, which represents 500 workers who went on strike on March 21 after rejecting for a second time a Chevron contract proposal.
Chevron has reached agreement with unions at three U.S. refineries and one fuel and lubricant additives plant, said company spokesperson Tyler Kruzich.
“We look forward to continuing negotiations with the USW Local 5 so they can rejoin our workforce soon,” Kruzich said.
U.S. refiners have concluded contracts with workers at 34 of 35 locations, he added.
Chevron continues to operate the 245,271-barrel-per-day (bpd) San Francisco Bay-area refinery with managers, supervisors and temporary workers.
(The story corrects to say U.S. refiners, not Chevron, in 6th paragraph. Adds number of agreements reached at Chevron sites in 4th paragraph)
(Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Sandra Maler)
