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                                                                  EXHIBIT 10(w)



                         MANAGEMENT STABILITY AGREEMENT



         This Management Stability Agreement is dated December 14, 1994,
between Tesoro Petroleum Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the "Company"),
and Thomas E. Reardon ("Employee").

                                   Recitals:

         WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Company has determined that it
is in the best interest of the Company to reduce uncertainty to certain key
employees of the Company in the event of certain fundamental events involving
the control or existence of the Company;

         WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Company has determined that an
agreement protecting certain interests of key employees of the Company in the
event of certain fundamental events involving the control or existence of the
Company is in the best interest of the Company because it will assist the
Company in attracting and retaining key employees such as this Employee; and

         WHEREAS, the Employee is relying on this Agreement and the obligations
of the Company hereunder in continuing to work for the Company.

         NOW, THEREFORE, THE PARTIES AGREE AS FOLLOWS:

         1.      Termination Following Change of Control.

         Should Employee at any time within two years of a change of control
cease to be an employee of the Company (or its successor), by reason of (i)
involuntary termination by the Company (or its successor) other than for
"cause" (following a change of control), "cause" shall be limited to the
conviction of or a plea of nolo contendere to the charge of a felony (which,
through lapse of time or otherwise, is not subject to appeal), a material
breach of fiduciary duty to the Company through the misappropriation of Company
funds or property) or (ii) voluntary termination by Employee for "good reason
upon change of control" (as defined below), the Company (or its successor)
shall pay to Employee within ten days of such termination the following
severance payments and benefits:

                 (a)  A lump-sum payment equal to two times the base salary of
                 the Employee at the then current rate; and

                 (b)  A lump-sum payment equal to (i) two times the sum of the
                 target bonuses under all of the Company's incentive bonus
                 plans applicable to the Employee for the year in which the
                 termination occurs or the year in which the change of control
                 occurred,
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                 whichever is greater, and (ii) if termination occurs in the
                 fourth quarter of a calendar year, the sum of the target
                 bonuses under all of the Company's incentive bonus plans
                 applicable to Employee for the year in which the termination
                 occurs prorated daily based on the number of days from the
                 beginning of the calendar year in which the termination occurs
                 to and including the date of termination.

The Company (or its successor) shall also provide continuing coverage and
benefits comparable to all life, health and disability plans of the Company for
a period of 24 months from the date of termination and shall receive two years
additional service credit under the current non-qualified supplemental pension
plans, or successors thereto, of the Company applicable to the Employee on the
date of termination.

                          For purposes of this Agreement, a "change of control"
                 shall be deemed to have occurred if (i) there shall be
                 consummated (A) any consolidation or merger of the Company in
                 which the Company is not the continuing or surviving
                 corporation or pursuant to which shares of the Company's
                 Common Stock would be converted into cash, securities or other
                 property, other than a merger of the Company where a majority
                 of the Board of Directors of the surviving corporation are,
                 and for a two year period after the merger continue to be,
                 persons who were directors of the Company immediately prior to
                 the merger or were elected as directors, or nominated for
                 election as directors, by a vote of at least two-thirds of the
                 directors then still in office who were directors of the
                 Company immediately prior to the merger, or (B) any sale,
                 lease, exchange or transfer (in one transaction or a series of
                 related transactions) of all or substantially all of the
                 assets of the Company, or (ii) the shareholders of the Company
                 shall approve any plan or proposal for the liquidation or
                 dissolution of the Company, or (iii) (A) any "person" (as such
                 term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d)(2) of the Securities
                 Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), other
                 than the Company or a subsidiary thereof or any employee
                 benefit plan sponsored by the Company or a subsidiary thereof,
                 shall become the beneficial owner (within the meaning of Rule
                 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) of securities of the Company
                 representing 20 percent or more of the combined voting power
                 of the Company's then outstanding securities ordinarily (and
                 apart from rights accruing in special circumstances) having
                 the right to vote in the election of





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                 directors, as a result of a tender or exchange offer, open
                 market purchases, privately negotiated purchases or otherwise,
                 and (B) at any time during a period of one year thereafter,
                 individuals who immediately prior to the beginning of such
                 period constituted the Board of Directors of the Company shall
                 cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority
                 thereof, unless the election or the nomination by the Board of
                 Directors for election by the Company's shareholders of each
                 new director during such period was approved by a vote of at
                 least two-thirds of the directors then still in office who
                 were directors at the beginning of such period.

                 For purposes of this Section 1, "good reason upon change of
                 control" shall exist if any of the following occurs:

                 (i)      without Employee's express written consent, the
                 assignment to Employee of any duties inconsistent with the
                 employment of Employee immediately prior to the change of
                 control, or a significant diminution of Employee's positions,
                 duties, responsibilities and status with the Company from
                 those immediately prior to a change of control or a diminution
                 in Employee's titles or offices as in effect immediately prior
                 to a change of control, or any removal of Employee from, or
                 any failure to reelect Employee to, any of such positions;

                 (ii)     a reduction by the Company in Employee's base salary
                 in effect immediately prior to a change of control;

                 (iii)    the failure by the Company to continue in effect any
                 thrift, stock ownership, pension, life insurance, health,
                 dental and accident or disability plan in which Employee is
                 participating or is eligible to participate at the time of the
                 change of control (or plans providing Employee with
                 substantially similar benefits), except as otherwise required
                 by the terms of such plans as in effect at the time of any
                 change of control or the taking of any action by the Company
                 which would adversely affect Employee's participation in or
                 materially reduce Employee's benefits under any of such plans
                 or deprive Employee of any material fringe benefits enjoyed by
                 Employee at the time of the change of control or the failure
                 by the Company to provide the Employee with the number of paid
                 vacation





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                 days to which Employee is entitled in accordance with the
                 vacation policies of the Company in effect at the time of a
                 change of control;

                 (iv)     the failure by the Company to continue in effect any
                 incentive plan or arrangement (including without limitation,
                 the Company's Incentive Compensation Plan and similar
                 incentive compensation benefits) in which Employee is
                 participating at the time of a change of control (or to
                 substitute and continue other plans or arrangements providing
                 the Employee with substantially similar benefits), except as
                 otherwise required by the terms of such plans as in effect at
                 the time of any change of control;

                 (v)      the failure by the Company to continue in effect any
                 plan or arrangement with respect to securities of the Company
                 (including, without limitation, any plan or arrangement to
                 receive and exercise stock options, stock appreciation rights,
                 restricted stock or grants thereof or to acquire stock or
                 other securities of the Company) in which Employee is
                 participating at the time of a change of control (or to
                 substitute and continue plans or arrangements providing the
                 Employee with substantially similar benefits), except as
                 otherwise required by the terms of such plans as in effect at
                 the time of any change of control or the taking of any action
                 by the Company which would adversely affect Employee's
                 participation in or materially reduce Employee's benefits
                 under any such plan;

                 (vi)     the relocation of the Company's principal executive
                 offices to a location outside the San Antonio, Texas, area, or
                 the Company's requiring Employee to be based anywhere other
                 than at the location of the Company's principal executive
                 offices, except for required travel on the Company's business
                 to an extent substantially consistent with Employee's present
                 business travel obligations, or, in the event Employee
                 consents to any such relocation of the Company's principal
                 executive or divisional offices, the failure by the Company to
                 pay (or reimburse Employee for) all reasonable moving expenses
                 incurred by Employee relating to a change of Employee's
                 principal residence in connection with such relocation and to
                 indemnify Employee against any loss (defined as the difference
                 between the actual sale price of such residence and the higher
                 of





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                 (a) Employee's aggregate investment in such residence or (b)
                 the fair market value thereof as determined by a real estate
                 appraiser reasonably satisfactory to both Employee and the
                 Company at the time the Employee's principal residence is
                 offered for sale in connection with any such change of
                 residence;

                 (vii)    any failure by the Company to obtain the assumption
                 of this Agreement by any successor or assign of the Company;

         In the event of a change of control as "change of control" is defined
in any stock option plan or stock option agreement pursuant to which the
Employee holds options to purchase common stock of the Company, Employee shall
retain the rights to all accelerated vesting and other benefits under the terms
thereof.

         The Company shall pay any attorney fees incurred by Employee in
reasonably seeking to enforce the terms of this Paragraph 1.

         2.      Complete Agreement.

         This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties
and cancels and supersedes all other agreements between the parties which may
have related to the subject matter contained in this Agreement.

         3.      Modification; Amendment; Waiver.

         No modification, amendment or waiver of any provisions of this
Agreement shall be effective unless approved in writing by both parties.  The
failure at any time to enforce any of the provisions of this Agreement shall in
no way be construed as a waiver of such provisions and shall not affect the
right of either party thereafter to enforce each and every provision hereof in
accordance with its terms.

         4.      Governing Law; Jurisdiction.

         This Agreement and performance under it, and all proceedings that may
ensue from its breach, shall be construed in accordance with and under the laws
of the State of Texas.

         5.      Severability.

         Whenever possible, each provision of this Agreement shall be
interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law,
but if any provision of this Agreement shall be held to be prohibited by or
invalid under applicable law, such





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provision shall be ineffective only to the extent of such prohibition or
invalidity, without invalidating the remainder of such provision or the
remaining provisions of this Agreement.

         6.      Assignment.

         The rights and obligations of the parties under this Agreement shall
be binding upon and inure to the benefit of their respective successors,
assigns, executors, administrators and heirs, provided, however, that the
Company may not assign any duties under this Agreement without the prior
written consent of the Employee.

         7.      Limitation.

         This Agreement shall not confer any right or impose any obligation on
the Company to continue the employment of Employee in any capacity, or limit
the right of the Company or Employee to terminate Employee's employment.

         8.      Notices.

         All notices and other communications under this Agreement shall be in
writing and shall be given in person or by telegraph, facsimile or first class
mail, certified or registered with return receipt requested, and shall be
deemed to have been duly given when delivered personally or three days after
mailing or one day after transmission of a telegram or facsimile, as the case
may be, to the representative persons named below:

         If to the Company:                        Corporate Secretary
                                                   Tesoro Petroleum Corporation
                                                   8700 Tesoro Drive
                                                   San Antonio, Texas  78217

         If to the Employee:                       Thomas E. Reardon
                                                   13727 Oak Pebble
                                                   San Antonio, Texas 78232





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         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the
day and year first above written.

                          COMPANY:     TESORO PETROLEUM CORPORATION


                                       By  /S/ Michael D. Burke                 
                                         -----------------------------------
                                       Michael D. Burke
                                       President and Chief Executive Officer


                          EMPLOYEE:        /S/ Thomas E. Reardon                
                                       -------------------------------------




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