Over 500 Workers at California Chevron Refinery go on Strike

More than 500 workers at a Chevron Corp. refinery in the San Francisco Bay area went on strike early Monday in a contract dispute. The United Steelworkers union said that the strike affecting the refinery in the city of Richmond began at 12:01 a.m. This was released after the workers voted down most recent contract offer, and Chevron refused to return to the bargaining table.

Chevron said it has bargained with the union for months and believes an agreement offered by the company was fair and addressed union concerns. The company said it would resume operations despite the strike. It does not expect any supply chain issues. If the strike were to shut down the refinery, that could affect the gasoline prices in California.

The employees union also stated that while a national agreement on wages and working conditions was negotiated for oil workers, about 200 individual bargaining units still had to deal with local issues. Workers reported working on a rolling 24-hour extension since the previous contract with Chevron in Richmond expired on Feb. 1. Chevron, based in California, said the refinery produces gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and lubricating oils.

The USW local has asked for a 5% pay boost above that agreed last month by its peers because of the higher cost of living in the San Francisco Bay Area. It also wants the company to add staffing to reduce the 60-70 hours that union members must sometimes work.