—ON THE PICKET LINE—

Maggie Trowe, Editor

California Steelworker: ‘Union was
strengthened by oil strike’

MARTINEZ, Calif. — Union refinery workers, members of United Steelworkers Local 5, began returning to work at the Tesoro refinery here after nearly two months on strike. In a hard-fought battle, strikers demanded safer working conditions. Not everything we fought for was won, but many strikers went back believing that our union was considerably strengthened through the fight.

Five units are still on strike in Indiana, Ohio and Texas.

The membership of the Tesoro unit of Local 5 approved the strike settlement agreement March 24 by a narrow margin. Many voted against the proposal because Tesoro refused, as part of the back-to-work agreement, to reinstate Criff Reyes, one of our picket captains fired toward the end of the strike. Criff, an alkylation plant operator, had emerged as one of the main leaders in the fight. “All or none” was the sentiment expressed by many Local 5 members at the largest union action during the strike —a rally of 200 to 300 at the main Tesoro gate March 18.

The union committee and Tesoro agreed to take Criff’s firing to arbitration with an expedited timetable. The union has established a “We are Criff Reyes Defense Fund” to support Criff and his family while he is out of work. Over $10,000 has been raised toward the $15,000 goal.

Contributions can be made at www.gofundme.com/q8skxc.

The memory of this strike and the strikers’ fighting spirit will stay with us and our union as we face difficult situations with the company in the future. We are already experiencing an increase in company harassment and abuse on the job as we return to work.

— Ben Fields, member of USW Local 5, works on analyzer

maintenance at Tesoro refinery in Martinez.

California farmworkers fight agricultural giant Gerawan

SAN FRANCISCO — More than 100 farmworkers traveled here from Fresno in California’s Central Valley March 31 to build support for their fight against Gerawan Farming, one of the country’s largest fruit growing enterprises.

They marched through downtown with supporters from local unions, rallied on the steps of City Hall and attended a San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting, where a motion was passed to support their fight to force the company to respect their union contract.

The action was part of a national effort organized by the United Farm Workers to put a spotlight on the anti-union and anti-worker campaign being waged by Gerawan, a company that employs thousands of workers picking peaches, table grapes and other fruits.

Since 2013, the company has refused to honor a contract imposed by the state Agricultural Labor Relations Board. The pact was the product of binding arbitration that took place after negotiations with the company broke down.

Gerawan has orchestrated a well-funded campaign to decertify the union. Supporters of the union have been harassed and fired. Crew foremen circulated petitions calling for a decertification vote, which took place in November 2013. Because of these and other irregularities, ballots from this election remain impounded by the Agricultural Labor Relations Board.

In a letter dated March 30 to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, co-owner Dan Gerawan bragged that his workers make the industry’s highest wages.

“Workers are making $11 an hour at Gerawan,” UFW organizer Antonio Cortes told the Militant. “This is due to the pressure of our struggle. And only the workers hired directly by the company get this pay. The thousands of contract workers are only paid $9 an hour. We are demanding that they get paid the same.”

— Jenny Duncan

Kenya truck drivers strike for union, against company abuse

Long-distance truck drivers in Kenya who work for Kuwait-based Agility Logistics parked their trucks on the main highway between the port of Mombasa and Nairobi March 3 in a peaceful protest against excessive work hours — including shifts up to 24 hours long — and denial of union recognition by the company. The same day a second group of drivers gathered near Mai Mahui, on the road between Nairobi and the Uganda border, according to the International Transport Workers’ Federation, which is backing the truckers.

On March 15, armed police attacked sleeping drivers in the middle of the night, beating them and forcing them to drive at gunpoint to a company site. In one location community members rallied to the drivers’ defense and prevented a similar attack by cops.

The drivers and other Agility workers are seeking union recognition for the Kenya Long Distance Truck Drivers’ and Allied Workers’ Union and protesting an earlier transfer of four union activists, who were given only a few days notice that they would be shifted from Mombasa to workplaces up to 750 miles away. Two workers being transferred to Uganda have no permit to work there.

Drivers involved in accidents have been fired without any investigation, Agility workers in Nairobi reported, and the company refused to cover medical expenses for drivers injured at work. The company also failed to provide safety equipment, such as overalls and safety boots.

A Kenyan court ordered the strikers back to work March 18, calling the job action “unlawful.” Agility said it would apply a “no repercussions” policy for returning drivers and that drivers involved would receive full pay for the strike period. According to the company, the strikers accounted for 10 percent of Agility’s workforce in Kenya.

Agility Logistics, one of the world’s largest transportation companies, employs more than 20,000 workers in 100 countries. It is building a series of transport hubs across Africa. Agility drivers carry bulk cargo, containers and fuel from the Mombasa port across Kenya and on to Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Tanzania. The striking drivers won support from other unions on their routes, including dockworkers in Mombasa.

— Sharon Lassen

 
 
Related articles:
Boston march of 3,000 kicks off April 15 actions for $15 and a union
Oil workers strike for safety continues at five refineries
Mexican farmworkers win 15% raise, will keep fighting
 
 
 
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