Union calls 1%/year pay increase offer for U.S. refinery workers ‘ridiculous’

Houston — The United Steelworkers union (USW) called a 1% per year pay increase offered by lead oil industry negotiator Marathon Petroleum “ridiculous,” according to a message sent to members on Wednesday and seen by Reuters.

“We didn’t work from home during the pandemic. We showed up and kept our facilities running,” the Steelworkers said in the message about the pay offer that would give 30,000 U.S. refinery and chemical plant workers a 1% pay increase for each of three years under the contract the two sides are negotiating ahead of a Feb. 1 deadline.