PITTSBURGH, Feb. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 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.
"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.
The USW is the largest private-sector union in North America, representing 850,000 workers
employed in metals, mining, rubber, paper and forestry, energy,
chemicals, transportation, health care, security, hotels, and
municipal governments.
Contact:
Lynne
Hancock, USW, weekend: c) 615-828-6169 (h)
615-832-7124
Mon.-Fri.: (o) 615-831-6782
lhancock@usw.org
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SOURCE United Steelworkers Union (USW)