Tesoro refinery workers to vote on labor contact, ending strike

Workers at three refineries owned by San Antonio-based energy company Tesoro Corp. (NYSE: TSO) are expected to vote on a labor contract, which would end a strike that has lasted more than two months.

Both the United Steelworkers and Tesoro confirmed on March 22 that labor contract negotiations on “local issues” have ended. The contract will now go to a vote among striking workers at Tesoro’s refineries in Anacortes, Washington, as well Carson and Martinez, California.

Meanwhile, Shell workers at…

Hawaii gas prices stuck in idle after rising over the past month

Hawaii’s gas prices are stuck in neutral, which may be a good thing considering an upward trend over the past month.

Two separate tracking companies report no change in local prices over the past week.

GasBuddy.com said the average price of a gallon of regular was $3.05 on Sunday, unchanged from the previous Sunday. That was 10.4 cents a gallon higher than a month ago, but $1.076 less than a year ago when local motorists were paying more than $4 a gallon.

AAA Hawaii also reported flat prices over…

Sunoco LP to pay $816M to Energy Transfer Partners for stake in fuel distribution business

Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners LP (NYSE: ETP) will drop down another portion of its retail business to Houston-based Sunoco LP (NYSE: SUN) in an $816 million deal.

ETP acquired Philadelphia-based Sunoco Inc. in 2012, then it acquired Houston-based Susser Petroleum Partners last year and in October changed its name to Sunoco LP. Prior to the name change, ETP dropped down $768 million in assets to Susser, while Susser also purchased Honolulu-based Aloha Petroleum Ltd. for $240 million.

Now,…

Secor Group, mover of presidents, turns 125

D.C.-based The Secor Group, whose original office building was once on the back of the $10 bill, marks its 125th anniversary this week, one of Washington’s oldest continually-operating businesses.

Over the past century, the moving and storage company has helped diplomats, politicians and presidents relocate to the nation’s capital, including President Barack Obama.

Secor Group was the first company in the nation to commercialize fireproof warehouses and was using electric street trucks to deliver…

Do we even need another bomber? Northrop says yes, and explains why

Here’s what we can expect once the Pentagon awards the much anticipated Long-Range Strike Bomber contract: the conversation will transition pretty quickly from the competition — as in, who is poised to win — to the price tag.

And much as the Hill, Department of Defense, watchdog agencies and industry at large endlessly debate the costs tied to the the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the $55 billion-plus cost of the bomber will be dissected and criticized by those that question why the U.S. even…