Shell to speak with union on March 4 in U.S. refinery strike

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Lead oil company negotiator Shell Oil Co said on Friday that it is scheduled to speak with the union representing striking U.S. refinery workers on March 4. Talks between the U.S. arm of Royal Dutch Shell Plc and the United Steelworkers union broke off on Friday after refinery owners balked at a settlement, after which the union ordered workers at three Motiva Enterprises refineries, co-owned by Shell, to strike. A total of 6,550 workers are walking picket lines at 15 plants, including 12 refineries that account for one-fifth of U.S. domestic production capacity. (This version of the story has been corrected to change date of talks to March 4, not Feb. 25) (Reporting by Erwin Seba, editing by G Crosse)