It is said that nine oil refineries have members that have gone on strike after disagreement with the national contract with large oil companies. This is the first strike of its kind since 1980. The strike began this past Sunday after many workers were outraged due to contract expiration and non renewal. The strike is led by United Steelworkers Union (USW). According to strikers, they had to in order to get basic needs met by these oil companies, who are "too greedy". The companies themselves have experienced setbacks financially because of the crude prices of oil. They are trying to slow spending currently. USW has members from 65 refineries in the United States, which produces 64% of our country's oil. The union has rejected five proposals since they started negotiating the national contract January 21. They claim to want pay increases, increased healthcare coverage, and less use of non-union contract workers. Shell and Marathon are two large companies that have been affected by the strikes; however, they have set up strike contingency plans. The strike of 1980 lasted about three months. Hopefully, this series of strikes will not impact the low prices of oil that we have seen recently.
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-31087658
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