Brothers and Sisters,

I wanted to give an update to those who aren’t involved with the bargaining process at a national level. 

A little background first. The USW 12-591 is an amalgamated local that represents workers who are hired at facilities and who have, through the National Labor Relations Act of 1935, section 7a, voted to be organized and represented by a labor union. The 591 has 9 contracts, which have primarily been in the petroleum industry in some form. We represent refiners, chemical plants that support refineries, maintenance that support refineries and logistics support.

All these contracts and our members have one thing in common; we provide critical energy infrastructure to our community. All the work in our Local is tied to the production of the critical energy resource that is produced from crude oil and each member's job is vital to keeping that resource reliable for our community.

Our membership know the dangers of our jobs. We deal with immediate hazards every day with process pressure, heat, hazardous materials, physical, mental and personal demands of shift work to keep these facilities reliable for our communities. The United Steelworkers have been recognized worldwide for their leadership in health and safety in the workplace. The Oil Sector has been revolutionary in keeping our members safe in an inherently dangerous business. 

However, we know that these careers that we give our “30 years” to, come with a price to be paid long after we badge out for the final time. We have made our case to the industry that we are not willing to bear the burden alone of the long-term health effects of being in the plant. These health issues that are not accrued by our managers or salary staff are burdens on our families, our communities and even our nation as we progress into the Medicare age.

The need for reliable energy of all kinds is growing exponentially and so is the revenue collected by the providers of those resources. The oil industry is likely the most profitable industry in the history of humanity and their appetite to increase those profits is insatiable. The USW’s research and common sense lays out that our members' compensation is literally a “drop in the barrel” to the industry. 

This is one of the key points of our struggle for higher wages and better health care today and in the future. The only thing preventing industry from sharing the responsibility for the effects of our industry on our society is that they are willfully blind and choose not to address long-term health issues for our members. We are asking them to relieve our families, our communities, and the federal government of some of the burden of health costs to our members as a result of providing a vital energy resource. Ours is not an argument for personal greed, but one for compensation for actively participating in an industry that will have a cost on our lives.

This struggle is not new, but the need for change is critical. The profits are there on the industrial side and the need is there on the workers' side to address the long-term health issues that our communities will bear. Our National Oil Bargaining Policy Group is fighting to address these issues. Unfortunately, our employers only want to give you enough to continue to lift that badge to the gate and clock in, with insufficient thought to the future of the communities we operate in. 

As we continue to bargain up to and through our expiration date, I want to ask all the members of the 591 to act with Solidarity, understanding that while we are addressing contracts with Marathon, PAR and HF Sinclair, we are working to improve the standards of our industry for all our members and our communities. 

As always, I'm available through contacting this website, or most have my cell phone or personal email if you have questions. 

Solidarity,

Scott Campbell

USW Local 12-591 President