with more than 500 workers on strike at the Chevron refinery in California
Photo: Getty (Getty Images)
Hundreds of union workers at the Chevron refinery went on strike in the San Francisco Bay Area early Monday after negotiations broke down between the oil company and its employees. More than 500 workers at the Chevron refinery in Richmond, California have refused to return to work. Workers are demanding a 5% salary increase based on area costs, according to Reuters, but Chevron argues that this increase is an unreasonable demand.
Until the strike, workers had been negotiating wage disputes and working conditions with Chevron throughout the beginning of 2022 — in some cases dating back to January.
The United Steelworkers represent more than 500 employees and continued to work on a 24-hour extension after the contract expired in early February. Both sides have reached a tentative agreement, but AP reports that there remain regional issues affecting about 200 units of negotiation.
with more than 500 workers on strike at the Chevron refinery in California
Photo: Getty (Getty Images)
Among these problems was the sharp rise in living costs around the Bay Area, and as the San Francisco Chronicle reported, workers felt, of course, unreasonably high reserved for senior management. It was an increase in wages.
This is the first labor dispute at the Chevron refinery for over 40 years. According to Reuters, this last happened in 1980. The last strike was part of a national protest, but this strike has once again attracted the attention of a large audience due to soaring gasoline prices.
According to some reports, strikes can adversely affect the price of gasoline in the Golden State, which is already one of the highest prices in the country. Again, from Reuters:
According to the driver group AAA, California sells 1 gallon of unleaded regular gasoline for $ 5.847 and 1 gallon of diesel for $ 6.258 on Sunday, and has some of the highest fuel prices in the country.
Or this from the Associated Press:
The company said the refinery continued to operate despite the strike and no supply chain problems were expected. If a strike closes a refinery, it can negatively impact California’s gasoline prices. This is the highest regular gasoline price in the country at $ 5.86 per gallon, according to the American Automobile Association.
Don’t worry about the strike starting this Monday, which caused gas prices to skyrocket in days, if not weeks. Don’t worry that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has soared energy and fuel prices around the world. And don’t worry about claiming that the Richmond refinery will continue to operate, as Chevron has already replaced the workers on strike with non-union members, despite the strike.
Don’t worry about it. That’s because if gas prices rise in California and other countries, it’s certainly because West Coast refinery workers have demanded a salary increase. Yes. Almost certainly.
with more than 500 workers on strike at the Chevron refinery in California
Photo: Getty (Getty Images)