Marathon Petroleum Corp has agreed to represent US refinery owners in 2022 talks with the United Steelworkers union (USW) discussing a new national agreement regarding refinery and chemical workers. Mike Smith, the head of the USW’s National Oil Bargaining Program, said Marathon would assume the position, replacing Royal Dutch Shell Plc.
Smith said that the industry has been changing and sees Shell’s presence in the refining sector smaller. Meanwhile, Marathon is currently the largest refiner in the US. Shell has been the companies’ representative in the talks since 1997. The negotiations will set the pay and benefits for 30,000 refinery and chemical plant workers in the US. The existing contract was agreed on January 2019 and is set to expire at 12:00 AM local time In February 2022.
