Stand with oil workers fighting for workplace safety

For more than a month, members of the United Steelworkers Union who work at oil refineries and chemical plants across the country have been out on an unfair labor practice strike prompted by management’s refusal to address health and safety concerns.

The strike started at nine facilities and then spread to six others, involving more than 6,600 USW members.

On March 12, the USW reached a tentative agreement with Shell Oil on a four-year contract that accomplishes many of the union’s goals. Critically, it calls for the immediate review of staffing and workload assessments, with USW safety personnel involved at every facility.

The framework established by that agreement has been embraced elsewhere, ending work stoppages. But many oil workers remain on strike at other locations where an agreement has not been reached.

In addition to health and safety concerns, workers have been striking over the oil companies’ bad faith bargaining, including the refusal to bargain over mandatory subjects; undue delays in providing information; impeded bargaining; and threats issued to workers if they joined the ULP strike.

“We shouldn’t be expected to work long hours for weeks on end without a break. We shouldn’t be expected to work in places where, on average, we have a fire every week of the year,” USW leadership wrote in a letter to members. “We shouldn’t have to sacrifice quality time with our families by working shifts and schedules that never end.  We end up too exhausted to do anything other than grab a few hours’ sleep before heading back to work.  We have the right to insist on better conditions.”

You can show your support for striking oil industry workers by signing an online petition to tell oil industry management and federal, state, and local officials that we all want safe refineries.

You can also visit the USW Oil Workers Facebook page to receive updates on the strike and to learn about events, actions and rallies near you.