POLAHS Board Investigates Executive Director on Credit Card Charges p. 2 Carson Council Campaigns Expose Bitter Power Struggle p. 5 Angels Gate Exhibit Aims to Humanize America’s Veterans p. 11
Inches Between a Deal and a Lockout Labor Secretary Perez Aims to Bring the PMA and ILWU Away from the Brink By Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor
B
Oil Workers Strike Heads into Third Week By Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor
W
launching rallies and speaking on the radio to explain the issues. In a radio interview with NPR, USW President of Local 12-591 Steve Garry explained that the bargaining goals are focused on safety. “If you know a little bit about the history of [National] Oil Bargaining, you would know that safety has been a primary focus for quite some time,” Garry said. “We’ve experienced far too many tragic accidents, serious injuries and fires.” National Oil Bargaining is an industrywide bargaining program that sets the standards for improvements in pay, key
benefits, and health and safety standards across the oil industry. Garry noted that bargaining goals are focused on safety and worker fatigue— fatigue that is a result of low staff levels. The majority of workers are operations workers. They use the equipment, monitor the plants, open and shut valves, make adjustments and do troubleshooting. Other workers are maintenance workers who troubleshoot and repair the machinery, and test and monitor equipment. “Inspection and maintenance planning, and procedure planning are things Oil Workers Strike/ to p. 4
February 19 - March 4, 2015
orkers at 11 oil refineries in Texas, Kentucky, California, Washington, Ohio and Indiana walked out of their jobs demanding safer staffing and better health benefits. On Feb. 7, the oil workers organized a solidarity rally at the Tesoro refinery in Carson. Hundreds turned out in support. However, the biggest challenge for United Steelworkers Union is explaining the work of the oil workers and the dangers that are involved when equipment or untrained, nonunion workers fail. United Steelworkers local presidents, organizers and spokespersons have been
The Local Publication You Actually Read
Members of United Steelworkers Union, Local 675 staged a solidarity rally Feb. 7 in Carson, following a nationwide strike. Photo by Slobodan Dimitrov.
efore the Presidents Day weekend, the Barack Obama administration announced it was sending Labor Secretary Tom Perez to push the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association into agreement. This came after the PMA announced on Feb. 11 that it was not going to hire any workers for four out of five days covering that period, citing alleged slowdowns by the ILWU as their rationale. PMA spokesman Wade Gates claimed that the PMA made a comprehensive contract offer designed to bring these talks to conclusion and the union made a request they knew the PMA couldn’t meet. The PMA’s salvo was apparently intended to divide the rank and file from its negotiating committee and, by extension, their leadership. ILWU International President Bob McEllrath released a statement to the union membership, noting the negotiating committee’s mandate are the 100 local resolutions that were submitted to the contract caucus this past year—resolutions agreed upon by the membership. “When the parties reach a tentative agreement consistent with the rank and file’s bargaining demands, the negotiating committee will bring the tentative agreement to the caucus for review and action, as required by the ILWU Coast Longshore Division bylaws,” McEllrath said. “If approved by the caucus, the tentative agreement is subject to ratification by all class A and class B registered longshore workers and clerks in a referendum vote.” Obama Sends Labor Secretary/ to p. 4
1