Striking Tesoro refineries workers to vote on contract

HOUSTON, March 22 (Reuters) - Workers on strike at three Tesoro Corp refineries on the West Coast are due to vote on a new contract this week, the United Steelwokers union said in a message on Sunday.

Workers at two Tesoro refineries in California and one in Washington state have been walking picket lines since strikes began on Feb. 1 after talks broke down between the USW and lead refinery owner negotiator Shell Oil Co, the U.S. arm of Royal Dutch Shell Plc

Negotiations were continuing to end strikes at BP-operated plants in Indiana and Ohio, Lyondell Basell Industries' Houston refinery and Marathon Petroleum Corp's Galveston Bay, Texas, and Catlettsburg, Kentucky refineries.

At the Catlettsburg refinery, a federal mediator joined the talks between the USW and Marathon last week.

The two sides remain far apart on several local issues before considering the national agreement reached between the USW and Shell (LSE: RDSB.L - news) on March 12.

Talks on local issues were also continuing at the Galveston Bay refinery.

Local issues were the focus of talks between Lyondell and the USW local representing Houston refinery workers.

Workers were scheduled to return to their jobs this week at three Motiva Enterprises refineries, including the nation's largest, in Texas and Louisiana. Motiva is co-owned by Shell and Saudi Aramco

Striking hourly employees at Shell's joint-venture refinery in Deer Park, Texas, approved a new contract on Thursday and are expected to return to work within two weeks.

(Reporting by Erwin Seba; Additional reporting by Jarrett Renshaw in New York; Editing by Leslie Adler)