The Rude Pundit - Photos That Make the Rude Pundit Want to Break Out His Joe Hill Songbook

[meegbear]

That's a big bunch of oil workers from the United Steelworkers union on strike at a refinery in Kentucky. They and thousands of others at refineries and chemical plants in Texas, California, and Washington are staging the first USW walkouts since 1980. And they're doing it not just for wages, but for one of the reasons why unions started in the first place: worker safety. And they're striking against the biggest oil conglomerates - Chevron, Shell, and others.

Yeah, it seems you can only have so many years of industrial accidents, explosions, and general catastrophes, due often to worn out equipment and cost-cutting measures that have left workers exposed to greater risks. As one refinery worker writes in The Guardian, "It’s frustrating. We know the refineries aren’t doing enough. At Tesoro, the explosion in 2010 didn’t come as a real surprise. The equipment that failed had a history of leaks and fires."

Seven people died in that Tesoro refinery in Washington, and at one in California, the California Nurses Association joined the oil workers on the picket line. Said a CNA spokeswoman, "We stand in solidarity over their safety concerns and the fact that they are the front-line workers who are going to see when something is wrong." She demanded that whistleblower protection be written into the contracts, too.

Right now, the strike by 5200 workers is affecting 13% of the fuel output of the United States. If the full USW went out, it would affect 64%. You'd feel that. Every now and then, it's good to be reminded that some good can come of something that the right has successfully vilified, nearly into non-existence.

But unions are still here. And they still demand to be heard.

http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2015/02/photos-that-make-rude-pundit-want-to.html

[DocMac]

1. I could drink beer with rude

all night. Conversation would be great!

[albino65]

2. Here you go

[alfredo]

3. Insurance doesn't pay for replacing worn out equipment, but if there is an accident,

the insurance company will pay for a good portion of the repairs.

[jtuck004]

7. Doesn't do jack for the lives that are destroyed. Owners avoid loss.

In the mines of old Mother Jones reported that the bosses concern during cave-in's was for the mules.

New workers were so desperate they just showed up to take over for others who were killed or injured, but it cost owners money to buy new mules.

Some things haven't changed.

[alfredo]

8. Dead peasant insurance allows a owner to profit off the death of a worker.

[mountain grammy]

4. K & R for the Oil Chemical and Atomic Workers, my union.

OCAW is now United Steelworkers, and both my sons are members. My younger son just got his job back after an 18 month arbitration case resulting in a wrongful firing ruling in his favor. He got his job and seniority, but no back pay, go figure. Doesn't even smell right, but it's the way things are these days.

My oldest son is a refinery worker, taking up collections for the strikers. His refinery currently isn't one of the ones striking. Corporate has settled all local issues and promises to accept whatever contract acceptable to the union, but who knows how far Shell will push it.

OCAW was all about safety and one of the leaders in the push for strong OSHA regulations. These are dirty, dangerous jobs and the union is why they make a decent living with benefits.

SOLIDARITY!

[Dustlawyer]

5. We represent the USW and I can tell you the refineries have become much worse.

Everything now is how much profit per quarter! The DuPont chemical leak that killed 4 a couple of months ago was caused, in part by old, broken equipment and the keep the product flowing mentality that allowed them to ignore safety rules to insure the product never stops, for any reason.
The regulatory agencies have all been gutted, starved, and run by a revolving door of industry insiders.

[Scuba]

6. Good on the union workers. We need to see more of this!