Posted on 02/01/2015 11:53:52 AM PST by mdittmar
Work Stoppage to Begin 12:01 AM Local Time
Pittsburgh — The United Steelworkers Union (USW) announced that it is calling for a work stoppage at the following US refineries:
LyondellBasell in Houston, TX;
Marathon Galveston Bay Refinery in Texas City, TX;
Marathon Houston Green Cogeneration facility, Texas City, TX;
Marathon Refinery, Catlettsburg, Ky;
Shell Deer Park Refinery, Deer Park, TX;
Shell Deer Park Chemical Plant, Deer Park, TX;
Tesoro Anacortes Refinery, Anacortes, Wash.;
Tesoro Martinez Refinery, Martinez, Calif.; and
Tesoro Carson Refinery, Carson, Calif.
All these refineries will go on strike at 12:01 am local time.
(Excerpt) Read more at usw.org ...
Just taking their day off to watch the Super Bowl!
Why excerpt a union publication?
All these refineries will go on strike at 12:01 am local time.
“Shell refused to provide us with a counter-offer and left the bargaining table,” said USW International President Leo W. Gerard. “We had no choice but to give notice of a work stoppage.”
The remaining USW-represented refineries and oil facilities are operating under a rolling 24-hour contract extension. The USW represents 65 U.S. refineries and over 230 refineries, oil terminals, pipelines and petrochemical facilities in the U.S.
“We told Shell that we were willing to continue bargaining for a fair agreement that would benefit the workers and the industry, but they just refused to return to the table,” said USW International Vice President Gary Beevers, who heads the union’s National Oil Bargaining Program.
“This work stoppage is about onerous overtime; unsafe staffing levels; dangerous conditions the industry continues to ignore; the daily occurrences of fires, emissions, leaks and explosions that threaten local communities without the industry doing much about it; the industry’s refusal to make opportunities for workers in the trade crafts; the flagrant contracting out that impacts health and safety on the job; and the erosion of our workplace, where qualified and experienced union workers are replaced by contractors when they leave or retire,” Beevers added.
The USW rejected Shell Oil Company’s last offer. It was the company’s fifth offer to the union. Shell is the lead company for the National Oil Bargaining talks. National negotiations focus on establishing a pattern on wages, benefits and working conditions. Local union and unit negotiations focus on local issues at the particular facility.
The union offered to bargain over a safe and orderly shutdown or a safe and orderly transitional release. Oil workers were told to stay at their posts until they were relieved or to finish out their shift.
“The oil companies do not want to work with us to improve the workplace and safety at oil refineries and facilities,” said USW International Vice President of Administration Tom Conway.
“This industry is the richest in the world and can afford to make the changes we offered in bargaining.
“The problem is that oil companies are too greedy to make a positive change in the workplace and they continue to value production and profit over health and safety, workers and the community.
“When the industry comes to its senses, we are more than willing to meet them at the bargaining table and negotiate a fair pattern agreement that will help everyone,” Conway added.
The union represents workers at 65 U.S. refineries that produce approximately 64 percent of the oil in the U.S.
We will soon be importing all our steel
I drive by Shell Deer Park on my way to work.
Interesting that one of USW’s allies is the Sierra Club, which has become a supporter of ecoterrorist organizations.
Gee. Could it all be connected?!
That's crazy talk!
How silly of me ;-)
1,600 layoffs at US Steel? Well, at least it’s not totally shut down like the 1980s
http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2015/01/1600_layoffs_at_us_steel_well.html
US Steel announced it might lay off up to 1,600 workers in Alabama this week
U.S. Steel Lays Off 756, Blaming Low Oil Prices
http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-steel-to-cut-jobs-amid-low-oil-prices-1420556069
Steel Maker Idles Ohio Plant That Makes Pipes for Oil Exploration, Drilling
Hard times rock steel industry
http://www.nwitimes.com/business/jobs-and-employment/hard-times-rock-steel-industry/article_cf177bf3-d83c-5fe9-b1e2-1c6f5e2bf65c.html
Nearly 700 steel industry jobs have vanished from Northwest Indiana over the past week as both of the region’s major steelmakers announced cutbacks.
U.S. Steel laying off 176 in Granite City
http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/u-s-steel-laying-off-in-granite-city/article_6cff406a-4f43-5c80-9321-9f5065bd6033.html
I haven’t been around the oil business for awhile. Back then, you had to go through the union to get hired. If you took a look at the Union rolls, it was just several families. The union became a clan. It worked to keep non-family members out.
Cause there is so many interesting things you can learn when you visit a socialist website;)
Uh-oh .... buy gas for your car ... quick!
Hostess Returns With ‘The Sweetest Comeback in the History of Ever’
I find it very HARD to believe OSHA overlooked such conditions as fires, emissions, leaks, explosions...
Such violations are might heavy fines...
I can't see a government drone passing up the opportunity to generate revenue...
Of course the unions would NEVER make up crap...
I wouldn’t think that it would be too hard to break the union in the Texas plants. Would Shell consider such a move?
I'm a wholesale distributor of Hostess and Dolly Madison products...
Believe me it wasn't the greatest comeback in history...
Even as of three months ago, there are still issues with packaging, marketing, distribution...
Workers at Marathon’s Texas City GBR refinery were in the process of “transitioning” from working their shifts to walking off the job Medley said.
“They should be done with that by early (Sunday) morning,” Medley said at 12:45 a.m.
Normally, a walkout would be preceded by union workers working with company officials to shut down operating units. That did not appear to the case in Texas City where Medley said Marathon officials planned to keep units running under the control of salaried employees.
Marathon’s salaried workers, who are not covered under the union contract, had been shadowing hourly workers for weeks in anticipation of a strike, union officials confirmed.
Some union members gathered at the union hall at about 11 p.m. Saturday in preparation to start picketing Sunday morning. Some of Texas City’s USW members walked a small picket line just after 12:01 a.m. Sunday, but left to regroup for a coordinated picket Sunday morning.
By sunrise several USW members were picketing across the street from the Galveston Bay Refinery and Cogeneration facility.
http://www.galvestondailynews.com/free/article_fdb1737a-a9dc-11e4-8178-0f2b540e7028.html
The rest is details;)
If there was a fire or explosion at Shell Deer Park, I would know about it. I work at a plant that is across the bayou from there.
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