The union representing workers at a Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, California, has told its members to prepare for a strike shortly after 12 a.m. on Monday barring agreement on a new labor contract. The United Steelworkers union (USW) at the 245,000 barrel-per-day plant outside of San Francisco said in a notice to members that it has canceled a contract extension, “offered the company a safe and orderly shutdown,” and was awaiting a reply from Chevron. Chevron is committed to continuing to negotiate toward an agreement, a spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday. However, the San Ramon, California-based company “is prepared to continue normal operations safely and reliably to provide the energy products that are needed by consumers,” the spokesperson added. Union officials were holding discussions on their next steps, a […]