US oil workers stage large-scale strike

[unhappycamper]

http://www.dw.de/us-oil-workers-stage-large-scale-strike/a-18229327

The United Steelworkers Union has called for its biggest strike in over thirty years after negotiations over a new contract with Shell Oil broke down. The Union President said workers had 'no choice' but to walk out.

US oil workers stage large-scale strike
02.02.2015

North America's largest private-sector union, United Steelworkers Union (USW), urged its oil refinery workers to stage its first nationwide strike since 1980, the company declared on Sunday, after failing to strike a deal with Shell Oil over a new national contract.

The labor union said it asked about 3,800 workers at nine refineries across four states, producing some 10 percent of the country's fuel, to begin the walkout at 12:01am on Sunday, marking the minute their previous contracts expired and the deadline for the negotiations which began on January 21.

The move came after the USW rejected the fifth offer made by lead negotiator Shell on behalf of the National Oil Bargaining talks, including Exxon Mobil and Chevron.

“Shell refused to provide us with a counter-offer and left the bargaining table,” USW International President Leo W. Gerard said in a statement. “We had no choice but to give notice of a work stoppage.”

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. Just to note...that means 10% of of US refining capacity will be offline.

Usually, gas stations raise their prices at the slightest excuse, and the shut down of even a few refineries have been a glorious excuse, as I remember.
but..now...with gas prices STILL dropping ( here, from 1.85 to 1.83 for regular between Sat and this am),
the major stations will be hard pressed to ramp up their prices.