The Militant(logo) 
    Vol.63/No.12           March 29, 1999 
 
 
Locked-Out Oil Workers Plan Further Actions  

BY DEAN COOK
The following article is excerpted from Defending Workers Rights, a newsletter produced by a locked-out member of Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers Local 4-227 at Crown Central Petroleum in Pasadena, Texas.

Ralliers gathered at Local 4-227 February 5 to protest the lockout at Crown Central Petroleum in Pasadena, Texas. Rally events were held at both the union hall and the refinery.

At the hall, ralliers heard from locked-out Crown workers as well as members of the Catfish Workers of America from Belzoni, Mississippi; Steelworkers on strike at Titan Tire in Natchez, Mississippi; Steelworkers locked out at Kaiser Aluminum; and Eddie Slaughter, farmer and vice-president of Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association....

Dean Alexander and Jim Byrd, both officers of PACE, spoke at the rally. Jim Byrd read a letter from PACE president Boyd Young offering words of encouragement.

Incidentally, the weekend following the rally, one of the scabs bumped several picketers with his white Dodge truck at the picket line. The Pasadena Police were called. Thirty minutes later, when they finally showed up, they informed us the area was out of their jurisdiction. Funny, when Crown calls, they have no problem hassling us outside their jurisdiction.

I was asked why we included a farmer as a speaker at the rally. Farmers have played an important role in workers' struggles in this country. For example, in the 1930s when the Teamsters were on strike in Minneapolis, it was only with the cooperation of the farmers that the strike was a success. The same goes for the civil rights movement of the '50s and '60s. The farmers used their land to bail the civil rights activists out of jail on many occasions.

Lawsuit update
Crown's lawsuit against locked-out workers claiming sabotage continues to drag on. The company and its lawyers have been taking depositions from many of the locked-out workers. Recently, Phyllis Miller, 23-year employee, was deposed. They questioned her about responsibilities as a Health and Safety Representative while at Crown and as a member of the Hardship Committee. The Company's lawyers implied that Phyllis, as a member of the Health and Safety Committee, was responsible for sabotage as well as the rest of the Committee members. According to Crown's lawyers, it is not only the Committee's responsibility to inform the company of safety hazards and equipment in ill repair. It is also the Committee's responsibility, after the company has failed to make the needed repairs, to hound the company from now to eternity, or until the repairs are made....

Workers on the road
Locked-out Crown workers have been traveling around town and around the country offering their solidarity and receiving the same. We recently went to a rally in Natchez, Mississippi, for Steelworkers on strike at Titan Tire. While there, we were able to meet with Steelworkers locked-out at Kaiser Aluminum, and workers unjustly fired by Freshwater Catfish in Belzoni, Mississippi.

Kaiser Aluminum is owned by MAXXAM Corporation, which is headquartered here in Houston. Some of the Kaiser workers are here in Houston at all times picketing the home of CEO, Charles Hurwitz, and the company headquarters. Two rallies were held in as many days recently in Houston while Hurwitz was on trial for a savings and loan failure and scandal. Crown workers Ronnie Smith, Tom Boots, Hector Saenz, Robert Bridges, and Dean Cook were at one or both rallies.

Karen Sloan and Dean Cook just returned from a trip to Washington, D.C., for a rally and hearing for the Black Farmers who are suing the Department of Agriculture for discrimination....

Dave Delahoussaye and his wife, Rita, just returned from a Jobs with Justice convention in Louisville, Kentucky. They were able to meet workers from all over the United States and distribute information about the lockout.

Rally again
The February 5 rally was unlike any rally we've had. It was so well liked, we decided to do it again. And since May Day was the original Labor Day in this country, and since May Day is now recognized around the world as a day of protest for workers, it seemed like the logical choice for our next rally day. May Day is May 1, Saturday. Make plans to come and bring your family.

If you would like to join in the planning efforts, or would like to go on the road with the locked out workers to meet up with other fighters, contact us at 713-475-9560, or at dcook@nwwin.com. Visit our website at www.nwwin.com/~ocaw4227.

 
 
 
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