Striking US refinery workers campaign in Europe

A delegation of striking refinery workers from the United Steelworkers (USW) will bring their campaign for a safer oil industry to Europe this week, meeting with allies from labor unions in the Netherlands and Great Britain, according to USW officials.

The group, led by USW District 11 Director Emil Ramirez, includes striking workers from refineries owned by Shell, Marathon and Tesoro.

Shell, which has taken the lead on bargaining for the energy companies, has its headquarters in the Netherlands. 

The USW members will meet with leaders from the FNV oil workers union at Shell and LyondellBasell in the Netherlands from Monday through Wednesday and then travel to London on Thursday to meet with leaders from Unite the Union, the largest industrial union in Great Britain and Ireland. 

“The USW deeply appreciates the support of the FNV, UNITE and other unions in the oil industry worldwide in our fight to ensure that US refineries are safe for our members who work in them and for the communities that surround them," said Leo W. Gerard, president of USW International.

The group will update the European unions on the status of bargaining and also carry a message of the importance of safety in an industry that in just the past eight years has seen at least 349 reported fires, many of which have led to fatalities, explosions and catastrophic injuries, according to USW representatives.  

More than 5,000 USW members are on strike at 11 refineries owned by Shell, Marathon, Tesoro, BP and LyondellBasell, with the USW citing concerns about safety, onerous overtime and unsafe staffing levels.

The USW represents workers at 65 US refineries that process about 64% of the oil in the country.