VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Hourly workers represented by the United Steelworkers union (USW) at Marathon Petroleum Corp's Catlettsburg, Kentucky, refinery voted on Friday to approve a new contract, ending a two-month work stoppage, a company spokesman said.

The U.S. refinery strike widened as workers at the nation's largest refinery walked off their jobs at 12 a.m. CST (0600 GMT) on Saturday, according to the United Steelworkers union (USW).

Union leaders rejected a sixth contract offer Royal Dutch Shell Plc made to U.S. refinery workers, and a pause in negotiations was called Thursday on the fifth day of a strike, though talks are set to resume next week.

Union workers were on strike for a second day on Monday at nine U.S. refineries and chemical plants in an attempt to force oil companies to sign a new national contract covering laborers at 63 plants.

Union leaders and oil companies were unable to agree on a new labor accord on Saturday for workers at 63 U.S. refineries as a deadline passed that could lead to a strike.

Union and oil company negotiators began talks on Wednesday for a new nationwide contract covering hourly workers at 63 U.S. refineries that account for 64 percent of national refining capacity, according to a union spokeswoman.