the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Sep 16, 2024
The 273 workers of Teamsters Local 283 have been on strike since September 4 against Marathon Petroleum’s refinery and storage operation in southwest Detroit, Michigan.
They have been trying for months to get a contract negotiated. Marathon won’t budge. The contract expired last January. Marathon’s delaying tactics are so outrageous, they can be classed as unfair labor practices. Workers’ picket signs and shirts say, “My patience is on EMPTY!”
Marathon has brought in replacement workers from its other operations. But workers say that no two refineries are exactly alike. At the Detroit location, it takes new hires approximately one year of location-specific training, merely to qualify at the base level.
Even at the same refinery, moving to a new job at a different section requires at least a year of consultations with on-site experienced workers. But strikers say that Marathon’s substitute workers have been given only a month’s training. Even though they have to deal with highly explosive fuel! With a residential neighborhood nearby!
“It’s potentially very dangerous,” said an interviewed worker. “You start doing some searches on refinery explosions. You see them in the news every couple of years. It’s bad. And that can happen if you’re not properly trained or if you’re not doing the maintenance that you need to do.”
A 39-year-old relief operator said: “Capitalism at its worst. They care more about their shareholders. Every quarter they release their financials, and they’re offering billions of dollars in stock buybacks. And they’re only offering us pennies on the dollar.”