Photos: Strike at Tesoro oil refinery in Carson, Calif.

Josh Reichenbach, center, a gasoline refining operator, and other striking Tesoro refinery workers shout “scab” at a truck driver crossing the picket line outside the Carson refinery.   (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Tesoro’s oil refinery in Carson is part of the company’s Los Angeles operation. More than 6,500 oil refinery employees nationwide -- about 800 of them in Carson -- walked out this month after a three-year contract covering 30,000 workers expired.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Striking workers picket outside the Tesoro oil refinery in Carson. Worker fatigue and safety are key sticking points in the weeks-long strike, refinery workers say.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Josh Reichenbach, center, a gasoline refining operator, walks the picket line with fellow Tesoro refinery workers in Carson. The refinery remains in operation, staffed by non-union workers and managers.   (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Norm Rogers, second from left, talks with fellow oil refinery workers at the union hall in Carson. The strike, he says, isn’t about the money. “You don’t realize after awhile how stressful it can be, and that you’re gritting your teeth,” Rogers says.   (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

The Tesoro oil refinery in Carson runs 24 hours every day. Employees usually have several 12-hour shifts -- a few at night, a break in between and then a few during the day -- followed by a few days off.   (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)