Steve Hicks, President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 283, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the ongoing 34-day Teamsters strike at the Marathon Petroleum refinery in Detroit and urged the public to boycott Marathon gas stations.
Hicks said the members of Local 283 walked off the job on Sept. 4, and the strike has now surpassed the one-month mark. While on the job, the roughly 270 members of the Local made sure safety was the top priority at the refinery. Now, a month into the strike, the plant is not safe because there are too many untrained employees working at the facility, Hicks said. It is the first time the Teamsters have gone on strike at that plant in the last 30 years, he added.
Workers on the picket line are being supported by U.S. Senators, U.S. Representatives and Michigan’s governor. Hicks said his members are doing well. Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien has been out on the picket line with the members, and Hicks said he is doing what he can to push the situation.
Just this morning, Marathon management sent Hicks an email saying they would not go back to the bargaining table. He stated that the Local has filed multiple complaints to the National Relations Labor Board because Marathon is bargaining in bad faith.
Hicks explained that the union wants a guarantee against outsourcing jobs. He stressed the importance of protecting union jobs, as the refinery has expanded subcontracting with non-union labor. Other items on the table include seniority rights and a livable wage.
Marathon made $17.3 billion in the past three months, which Hicks called outrageous since they are not passing any of the profits on to their employees. He urged people to boycott Marathon gasoline and to go inside their stores and tell the employees they will not buy Marathon gas until the energy giant signs a new CBA with Local 283.
To hear more about Local 283’s strike at Marathon’s Detroit refinery, listen to the episode above.