By Erwin Seba
SAN DIEGO, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Union officials representing30,000 workers at U.S. oil refineries and chemical plants onWednesday said they will pursue sizable wage increases and a3-year contract in coming negotiations.
Contract talks, which begin in January, come as U.S.refiners are enjoying strong profits, near-full utilizationrates and record product exports. In the June quarter, themargin on turning crude to gasoline, diesel and other productswas the highest since 2015.
The United Steelworkers union (USW) wants a wage increasecomparable to the 6 percent per year increase it originallysought during 2015 talks, Kim Nibarger, chairman of the USW'snational oil bargaining program, said in an interview followinga three-day union meeting in San Diego.
In 2015, USW members went on a six-week strike at 12 U.S.refineries and three chemical plants. In the end, they accepteda four-year contract that provided members between 2.5 percentto 3.5 percent annual increases each year and changes to workingconditions.
Nibarger declined to provide specifics of the proposals thatunion officials will bring to their members in coming weeks.Local union members will have 45 days to vote on the proposalsreached on Wednesday. If 75 percent of locals agree, the wageincrease will be presented to companies in January.
"They are in the range of the proposals made in 2015," hesaid. "I think it is an aggressive proposal, but notunreasonable given the dedication of members to keep theirfacilities operating at top notch."
Shell Oil Co, the U.S. arm of Royal Dutch Shell Plcwas once again named lead negotiator on behalf ofcompanies that own U.S. refineries, including Marathon PetroleumCorp BP Plc, Exxon Mobil Corp, ValeroEnergy Corp, and smaller refiners such as HollyFrontierCorp and Delek US Holdings Inc.
Shell declined immediate comment on Wednesday.
"Our goal is a mutually beneficial agreement for our membersand the companies they work for," said Nibarger.
The USW also wants improvements in a standard meant toreduce fatigue among its workers. It sought a similar change in2015, he said.
In 2015, the national strike lasted six weeks and some localstrikes continued for months with workers at the MarathonGalveston Bay Refinery in Texas not returning to work untilJuly.
The current USW contract runs out on Feb. 1.(Reporting by Erwin SebaEditing by Leslie Adler and Lisa Shumaker)