USW Says Marathon Petroleum’s Actions Impinge on Safety and are Unlawful

Contact: Lynne Hancock, USW, 615-828-6169, lhancock@usw.org

Catlettsburg, Ky.—United Steelworkers (USW) Local 8-719 says that the terms and conditions of employment Marathon Petroleum unilaterally implemented do not promote safe staffing levels to safeguard the refinery’s employees and the surrounding community.

The local’s contract with Marathon expired on January 31, 2012. The company accepted the National Oil Bargaining Pattern Agreement the USW negotiated with the industry, but disputes arose over local issues involving work schedules, vacation allotments and re-alignments of departments that result in job duty and schedule changes.

“All these changes are Marathon’s attempt to reduce our staffing levels,” said USW Local 8-719 President Bret Queen. “We strongly believe this further reduction in our work force will jeopardize the safety of refinery employees, the environment and the surrounding community.”

Local 8-719 is in the process of filing unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

“Marathon prematurely declared impasse in bargaining on April 18,” Queen said. “On April 23 the company implemented their last, best and final offer when there was no bargaining impasse.

“Marathon has rejected our request to continue bargaining. We expect the NLRB to issue an unfair labor practice complaint against the company, addressing its illegal bargaining conduct,” Queen said.

The USW represents over 430 workers at the Catlettsburg refinery and about 28,000 oil workers in the U.S., Virgin Islands and Aruba. The union represents over 850,000 workers in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean who are employed in the oil refining, pulp, paper and packaging, metals, rubber, chemicals, energy, government and health care and service sectors.

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