MICHIGAN, USA — Workers at Detroit's Marathon Petroleum hit the picket lines Wednesday afternoon after failed negotiations.
Over 200 teamsters went on strike over safety and pay disputes.
In the past, refinery issues have impacted the price of gas—but experts say that will not be the case this time.
“A lot of refineries have contingency plans when labor strikes are being threatened or carried out,” said Patrick De Haan, petroleum analyst at GasBuddy. “They can call in other workers' management from other areas. A lot of that management will have expertise in how to run a refinery and unless something happens, you know, refiners kind of can run on their own unless bad things happen."
In West Michigan, gas prices have been trending downward and that is set to continue.
De Haan says he believes gas prices will fall below $3 per gallon as winter approaches.
“We're seeing substations in Grand Haven now below $3 a gallon,” he said. “That's probably going to spread to more places across West Michigan now. Grand Rapids is holding at about $3.15 for the lowest price. That should continue to inch down.”
This gas trend is expected to continue unless a weather event, such as a hurricane, or conflicts in the Middle East arise.