MARTINEZ, Calif. — For over two months, 120 oil refinery workers at Marathon Renewables here, members of United Steelworkers Local 5, have been fighting serious attacks on their union and working conditions. In the latest blow, the company locked out the workers.
The workers first walked out April 27 after the company refused to agree to a four-year contract expiring on the same day as fellow refinery workers in the USW’s National Oil Bargaining Program. The workers also demanded an end to forced overtime that can extend from four to six hours after a 12-hour shift. Five weeks into the strike the bosses said they were considering contracting out the jobs of 46 striking workers. In the face of this, a sizable number of workers told the union they were ready to return to work, even if their original demands weren’t met. The union proposed to the company to unconditionally return to work, with negotiations to continue. The company responded with the lockout and promises of future negotiations. Many workers have now filed for unemployment, which is available to locked-out workers.
Discussions on the picket line are deepening as workers seek to understand the ferocity of the company assaults, not only here, but also in Whiting, Indiana, where BP refinery workers have been locked out for months.
Carl Smith, a member of the negotiating committee, said they’re getting solidarity, including from striking warehouse workers at C&H Sugar in Crockett, California, and that he and strike leader Criff Reyes had visited their picket. But more solidarity is needed.
Visit the picket line anytime, 24/7, at the intersection of Solano Way and Arnold Industrial Way in Martinez. Messages of support and contributions can be sent to their strike fund at USW Local 5, PO Box 349, Martinez, CA 94553.