By Barbara Powell/Bloomberg
The lead negotiator for the United Steelworkers said the union representing employees at 69 U.S. oil refineries is prepared to strike if companies don’t agree to stricter safety procedures at plants and pipelines.
The USW, which failed during contract negotiations in 2009 to get companies to agree to have a USW-trained safety specialist at each refinery, will make a similar demand during talks that begin in January for a new three-year pact, Gary Beevers, a USW vice president, said today.
About 300 delegates to the union’s annual oil bargaining conference in Dallas today approved a bargaining policy for contract talks with the companies.