As many as 1,800 refinery workers from far corners of the country are converging in Billings until mid-June, doing round-the-clock work on the Phillips 66 refinery during its largest-ever planned maintenance period. The refinery, which normally employs about 300 full-time workers, is in the midst of what’s known as a turnaround, a maintenance event that refineries undergo every five years. It involves shutting everything down, bringing in a host of outside help and working 24 hours a day to complete all the maintenance the refinery needs in order to go the next five years. (more…) Continue Reading →