Posted on 02/04/2009 4:54:04 AM PST by thackney
Thousands of refinery and chemical plant workers will receive a 3 percent raise each year for the next three years along with a $2,500 contract ratification bonus, according to the terms of a tentative agreement reached Tuesday between industry negotiator Shell Oil Co. and United Steelworkers International.
The contract, which still must be ratified by membership, would cover 30,000 workers nationwide, including 4,200 in the Houston area. Specific elements of the deal are secret until members have a chance to review the proposal, but local unions in Montana and California posted the basic details on their Web sites.
“These were tough negotiations given the economic conditions of an economy still in a total free-fall,” the union’s president, Leo W. Gerard, said in a prepared statement. “The oil companies were not willing to work with us fully to improve process safety.”
The deal, approved by the union’s National Oil Policy Committee, will be presented to all Shell/Motiva local union bargaining units, the Steelworkers said. Then it will come up for votes at other locals around the country.
The minimum standard The new contract is expected to serve as the minimum standard for wages, benefits and working conditions for union-represented employees nationally, the Steelworkers said.
However, individual plants must hammer out their own deals with employees, and it was clear Tuesday that those issues are not yet resolved.
“Shell negotiated an agreement for Shell,” said David Harpole, spokesman for LyondellBasell Industries’ refinery in Houston.
“We will now negotiate an agreement for our facility.”
Asked for clarification, Harpole said he couldn’t say whether LyondellBasell would follow the wages and benefits pattern set by Shell.
Some individual locals have their own unique issues...
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
The deal is for three years of 3 percent raises and a $2,500 bonus. The current average pay is $30.06 per hour.
Well, this should cause prices at the pump to rise. Of course, had they actually gone on strike, the price simply would have gone up even more. Any excuse will do.
Just sayin’.
See, I was right. Crude is up in price this morning.
That just means the consumer will be paying more at the pump a little on down the road.
Right now, with the economy still sliding downhill, a shortage in fuel and resulting higher prices is something the country does not need.
Wonder what Mr. Leo W. Gerard salary is? Will he accept a salary cap as is the supposed liberal thinking?
I doubt prices will rise...the traders were hoping for the strike so they could jump in (good excuse) and start driving the price of oil up via manipulation...just as they did before.
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