(500) Saskatchewan Refinery Workers Agree to Labor Pact, Avert Strike

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Bloomberg

By Sonja Franklin

July 7 (Bloomberg) -- Workers at Federated Co-operatives Ltd.'s oil refinery in Regina, Saskatchewan, said they reached an agreement on a new contract, averting a strike at the 100,000 barrel-a-day plant.

Members of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada will vote Tuesday on the agreement, reached yesterday evening, said national representative Gord Hunter. Details of the contract will be kept confidential until then.

``The negotiating commission is confident'' workers will ratify the agreement, he said in a telephone interview from Regina today.

The more than 500 workers at the refinery had voted this week in favor of a strike that could have begun as early as 10 a.m. local time today.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=aQh9xOgPs4BU&refer=canada

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Because of flooding in Kansas City, a refinery there is shut down. Anytime a refinery goes off line, prices jump. Now that we are increasing our imports from Canada, I'd sure many in the US would have felt this too.