RICHMOND, California (AP) — More than 500 workers at a Chevron Corp. refinery in the San Francisco Bay area are on strike because of a contract dispute.
The United Steelworkers union says the strike affecting the refinery in the city of Richmond began at 12:01 a.m. on Monday.
It came after union workers voted down Chevron's most recent contract offer.
Chevron says in a statement that it negotiated with the union for months and believes its contract offer was fair.
If the strike shuts down the refinery, it could crimp gas supplies in the state with the highest prices in the U.S.
The company says refinery operations will continue despite the strike.
