LINDEN, N.J. — Some 385 oil refinery workers, members of Teamsters Local 877, were locked out by Phillips 66 bosses at its Bayway Refinery, the largest refinery on the East Coast, Oct. 19. Union members had voted down a contract proposal demanding concessions on wages, healthcare and safety protections.
“They can afford a fair contract, but they’re following the pattern set by the other big oil companies recently of pushing against the workers,” Alex Dimeo, a Teamsters business agent, above, second from right, told this Militant correspondent. “That’s the pattern from Marathon in California and BP locking out workers in Indiana. And now they are going after us.
“One of the main issues is sick days,” he said. “The contract offer is only five days, the legal requirement in the state. After that they just start deducting from your vacation days.”
Local 877 President Jeff Sanford told the press another concession the company demands is to eliminate “fatigue days,” time off allowed under the current contract after workers do long periods of extended shifts. “Many of our folks can be forced to work 13 extended shifts in a row.”
BP locked out more than 800 members of United Steelworkers Local 7-1 at its refinery in Whiting, Indiana, seven months ago after workers rejected company demands to eliminate more than 100 jobs, cut wages and give up crucial bargaining rights. In Martinez, California, over 100 members of United Steelworkers Local 5 went on strike against Marathon in April over safety issues and company demands to gut seniority and hire nonunion workers. The company locked them out June 22.
Annual profits at Phillips 66 skyrocketed to $3.85 billion this year, up from $877 million in 2025. “They paid the company CEO $23.1 million last year,” Dimeo said.