Tosco, Union Reach Tentative Accord

Tosco Corp. and the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers Union reached a tentative agreement on all issues that had caused the union to threaten a strike at the three California refineries Tosco is buying from Unocal Corp., according to a spokeswoman for Tosco. OCAW officials could not be reached for comment. Details of the agreement, which still must be ratified by union members, were not available. OCAW had rejected terms of the previous contract offered by Tosco that included plans to cut 15% to 20% of the 900 jobs at refineries in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Santa Maria. Tosco is in the process of buying Unocal’s 76 Products Co., which is headquartered in Costa Mesa, including the three refineries, more than 1,100 gas stations and the familiar 76 brand name. The deal, for more than $1.8 billion, is to close March 31.