HOUSTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Contracts for unionized U.S.refinery workers began expiring at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time onSunday (0401 GMT) without word from labor or refinery ownersabout the outcome of talks for a new national pact.
The national agreement between the United Steelworkers union(USW) and oil companies, which covers workers at 63 refineriesaccounting for two-thirds of U.S. refining capacity, expires at12:01 a.m. local time on Sunday in the time zone where eachrefinery is located.
Negotiators for the USW and Royal Dutch Shell Plc,which represents U.S. refinery owners, have been meetingthroughout the day Saturday in an attempt to hammer out an newagreement ahead of the deadline. (Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Terry Wade)
