USW Union Tells Members To Strike At Major U.S. Refineries: Reports

(RTTNews) - The United Steelworkers union has told its workers at nine U.S. refineries and chemical plants to strike early Sunday morning, even as both sides hope to reach an agreement over pay, benefits and safety, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Negotiations between U.S. refiners and the union failed to reach a deal by a Sunday deadline.

The union has been trying to negotiate a new three-year agreement that addresses industrywide wage increases, safety conditions and staffing issues.

The deal would form the baseline for additional talks between companies and local unions, and cover 30,000 workers at 230 refineries, oil terminals, pipelines, and petrochemical plants, the Journal said.

USW represents workers at 65 fuel-making plants around the U.S. which it says account for nearly two-thirds of the country's refining capacity.

According to the Journal, USW said the plants where workers will strike include: LyondellBasell Industries ' plant in Houston, Texas; Royal Dutch Shell PLC's complex in Deer Park, Texas; and Marathon Petroleum Corp. 's sites in Galveston, Texas City and Catlettsburg, Ky.