USWstrike

In the largest strike since 1980, oil workers who are members of United Steelworkers District 13 locals (Locals 13-1 and Local 13-227) are no longer on the job in the Houston Ship Channel, the largest petrochemical complex in the world. The strike kicked off on February 1, 2015.

Combined, the three refineries impacted by the oil workers strike actions have a total capacity of 700,000 barrels per day. This represents 10 percent of US refining capacity. The Houston Ship channel strikes are part of a national strike by oil workers that includes refineries and chemical plants in California, Kentucky, Louisiana, Texas and Washington.

The three plants impacted by the strike in Houston include Shell Oil Refinery and Chemical Plant, LyondellBasell Refinery and Marathon (refinery and cogeneration facility). A total of 2,200 workers ares striking in District 13, with 5,000 on strike in the Greater Houston area. The remaining refineries and oil facilities are operating under a rolling 24-hour contract extension.

Do you remember the Union Carbide plant that leaked toxic gas and subsequently killed an estimated 15,000 people? What about the BP well in 2010 that spewed oil into the Gulf of Mexico for months or perhaps the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas that registered on the Richter scale?

These and many other industrial disasters were completely preventable, and all shared a common thread, like the majority of large scale industrial disasters: corporate decisions to deliberately neglect reasonable safety practices.

The United Steelworkers aren’t just on strike because of wages. They’re concerned about safe practices, because workers are in constant danger from a corporate culture that does not care for their safety.

Houston We Have A Problem: Oil Workers Strike For Safety & Fair Labor

Gulf Coast Refineries: Texas’ Ticking Time Bombs