First Posted: 2/25/2015
FINDLAY (AP) — Picketing outside the headquarters of Marathon Petroleum Corp. in Findlay drew about 200 people on Tuesday as the first nationwide oil refinery strike since 1980 moved into its fourth week.
More than 60 workers from the BP-Husky refinery near Toledo joined the demonstration in Findlay, and two busloads of workers from Marathon’s refinery in Catlettsburg, Kentucky, also made the trek.
The nationwide strike began after the United Steelworkers union said that negotiations with Shell Oil Co. had broken down. Shell is negotiating the national contract for other oil companies.
Jonathan Cathers with the union’s Toledo branch told The Blade in Toledo that Ohio workers’ proximity to Marathon’s headquarters is unique.
“We wanted to use that to our advantage and let them know we were here and we wanted to have our voice heard,” he told the newspaper.
The strike began Feb. 1 at refineries mostly in Texas and California, then later grew to include Ohio and Indiana refineries. The union has said it seeks limits on the use of contractors to replace union members doing daily maintenance work. Union officials have also said the industry refuses to address safety issues.
As the strike expanded last weekend to include 1,350 employees at a Port Arthur, Texas, refinery, Shell said it remains committed to safe operations and productive negotiations.
Dave McCall, Ohio district director for United Steelworkers, told the Courier in Findlay that safety is the primary concern.
“We shouldn’t be expected to work long hours for weeks on end without a break,” McCall said. “We shouldn’t be expected to work in places where on average we have a fire every week of the year. We shouldn’t be expected to work in places where equipment is old and in need of maintenance.”
