Hundreds of workers on strike at Chevron plant in California

More than 500 workers at a Chevron refinery in the San Francisco Bay area went on strike early Monday morning after voting down the company’s recent contract offer.

The United Steelworkers (USW) Local 5 notified the company it would go on strike Sunday night after it said Chevron would not return to the negotiating table. Chevron said in a statement that company officials believed the contract it offered was fair and addressed the union’s concerns.

“USW members continued to report for work throughout the pandemic so our nation could meet its energy needs,” Mike Smith, chair of the USW’s National Oil Bargaining Program, said in the statement. “They deserve a fair contract that reflects their sacrifice.”

The previous contract between USW and Chevron expired Feb. 1, and members have been working on a rolling extension, according to the union’s statement. It noted it had reached an agreement with the oil industry on wages and working conditions on Feb. 25, but more than 200 bargaining units have yet to agree on local issues.

According to a report by Reuters, the union asked for a 5 percent pay raise on top of the 12 percent increase agreed on last month, mainly citing high living prices in San Francisco. It also asked for more staff to be hired to alleviate overtime some workers have to cover.

Chevron said its operations at the refinery will continue. Currently, California has the highest gas prices in the country at $5.84 a gallon, according to AAA. Chevron said it didn’t foresee any supply chain issues, despite the strike.

This is the first strike at the plant in over 40 years.