‘Disappointed’ in union, Shell says it is hiring relief workers
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2015/03/03/669731/
March 3, 2015
In the first few weeks of the United Steelworkers union strike, managers stepped in at Shell Oil Co. to keep its refinery and chemical plant running.
As the strike enters its second month, Shell has been training “relief employees” to operate its Deer Park refinery as well as its Norco chemical plant in Louisiana, according to a letter to employees from Aamir Farid, manufacturing vice president, Americas.
With the relief workers, Shell is hoping to return to business as normal, despite the continuation of the strike, according to Farid.
The notification that Shell is bringing in new workers comes only two days before the Steelworkers and Shell are scheduled to meet for another round of negotiations. Shell is the lead negotiator for the industry.
Shell expects to reach its goal of returning to normal by midsummer. At that time, it also expects its managers to return to their regular duties.
“We are disappointed that the USW International Union seems unwilling to achieve a timely and reasonable agreement; but, we are also determined to continue running our business — this is in the best interest of our employees, our customers, the sites and the communities in which we operate,” according to Farid.
Staffing firms that specialize in providing replacement refinery operators for labor disputes have been advertising for the past few weeks in Houston.
One firm looking for field operators is offering $45 an hour plus $40 per day per diem with a guarantee of at least 60 hours a week of work.
Shell Will Run Its Second-Largest US Refinery WITHOUT Union Workers
http://oilpro.com/post/11058/shell-run-its-second-largest-us-refinery-without-union-workers
... The contingency plan for Shell’s 327,000 bpd refinery in Deer Park, Texas....
Shell also said that the contingency plan was recently set in motion at its chemical plant in Norco, Louisiana....
Shell said that the company had been preparing staff to replace USW workers since the strike commenced. After putting in place non-union Shell workers to run operations at the Deer Park refinery, “we turned our focus to bringing in and training additional staff,” the company said....
In a letter to staff, Aamir Farid, Shell’s Manufacturing Vice President, Americas, discusses transitioning from contingency plans to business as normal operations as USW strike continues.
Here is the letter in its entirety:
“When our contract with the USW expired and employees were called out on strike this past February 1, we activated our contingency plan for Deer Park and recently activated the plan for the Norco Chemical Plant.”
“Similar contingency plans have been in place for all USW represented sites for well over 12 months. These plans have been carefully developed and tested to assure that we are able to run our facilities safely and maintain our commitments to our neighbors and customers. The strength of the plans and our employees has been demonstrated at both Deer Park and Norco.”
“We are disappointed that the USW International Union seems unwilling to achieve a timely and reasonable agreement; but, we are also determined to continue running our business – this is in the best interest of our employees, our customers, the sites and the communities in which we operate. As the USW strike goes into its fifth week at Deer Park and second week at Norco Chemical, I want to provide an update on what to expect as we shift our focus from contingency to business continuity.”
“When USW represented workers were directed by the union to stop work at Deer Park on February 1, we began the handover of the facility to Shell trained operators. Following procedures, we ensured everything was operating in accordance to people and process safety protocols.”
“Once the handover was completed, we turned our focus to bringing in and training additional staff. These are qualified Shell employees, all of whom receive training prior to entering the rotation. The conclusion of this process is focused on returning our operations to a full rotation.”
“At Deer Park, that goal will be achieved mid-summer. By then, we expect to have trained and deployed all required relief employees to return to full rotation. We recognize and appreciate the contribution of those team members running our assets during this time —a key step in our business continuity plans is to have team members return to their normal duties.”
“The steps we have implemented as part of our contingency and business continuity plans have allowed us to maintain safe and reliable operations at our manufacturing sites, deliver product to our customers, grow our business and continue to provide good jobs for our employees.”
“We’ll keep moving forward. We are committed to you, as well as to our communities and customers. We are unwavering in those commitments and they remain unchanged. They will guide each and every decision and action as we move forward—together, as one team.”
In total, the USW represents workers at locations that cumulatively represent 64% of US fuel production. On February 20, the strike expanded to include the largest refinery in the US: Motiva Enterprises LLC’s Port Arthur, Texas, refinery. On the same day, USW members at Motiva’s plants in Convent and Norco, Louisiana, went on strike. The USW has rejected seven contract offers from Shell. Currently, about 6,550 workers have joined the strike.
Here is the list of facilities impacted by the strike:
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. (the only refinery shut down so far because of the strike);
Tesoro Carson Refinery, Carson, Calif.
BP Whiting Refinery, Indiana
BP Toledo Refinery, Ohio
Motiva Refinery, Port Arthur, TX
Motiva Refinery, Norco, LA
Motiva Refinery, Convent, LA
Shell Chemical Plant, Norco, LA