Striking Oil Workers Open to Communist Ideas

I’ve been going to the B.P. Amoco picket line about every third day. I am a member of the United Steelworkers (USW) but not of their local. Other supporters from other locals have also come to the picket line. The striking refinery workers really appreciate this worker solidarity that brings into view the bigger picture of the struggle facing the working class as a whole. Like one picketer pointed out, “It is easy to honk your horn as you pass by, but it’s something very different to stop and picket in bitter cold weather.”
The oil industry in 2014 made over $90 billion in profit. The workers know the history of Rockefeller and Standard Oil and know that they are up against a ruthless set of bosses. For example, the first demand the company made to the union was for it to cease being the bargaining unit of the workforce!
The refinery is loaded with outside contractors who are crossing the USW lines and are minimally qualified. Some of the contractors are union members, but their leaders claim that they have to honor previous contracts to do certain jobs. The USW is playing by the rules laid down by the bosses.
The USW has produced a sign reading “Solidarity is Strength.”  But the most obvious example of solidarity is the strikers themselves. All the strikers meet at the union hall right across from the plant. They are assigned particular gates to picket. Drivers drop off and pick them up as needed. Hot food is always available at the union hall and canned goods are stockpiled there. Rank-and-filers put on a fundraiser of music and raffles to raise funds for the fightback and raised hundreds of dollars. Speakers called for keeping their rights and dignity on the job and won’t go back without it.
The workers speak of the refinery being understaffed and unsafe. Often four workers are assigned to a job, two working 12 hours and the other two working 12 hours as their reliefs. But if someone takes off, the other two-crew members have to work 18 hours to cover for the missing crewmember. Morale and safety go out the window. Twenty-seven refinery workers have been killed and hundreds hurt in the past five years. Close calls are a frequent occurrence. They work with highly explosive gases and chemicals. One fellow said that he has worked 12-hour days for 19 days in a row (see Red Eye, page 7 on bosses’ risking workers’ lives)!
The strikers are open to communist ideas. One worker upon learning that CHALLENGE was a communist paper said that, “I have some communist leanings and I will check this out.”  Many good discussions were held and contacts made. A strike is a good opportunity for workers to see who are their friends and who are their enemies. We will stay involved and make communism clearer to these striking refinery workers.