USW Strikers Get a Contract

(This article first appeared in the May-June 2015 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)

After a six-week strike, the United Steel Workers Union and Shell Oil agreed on a new national contract on March 12.

Workers went on strike at 15 oil refineries in five states, protesting hazardous conditions that affect them, as well as residents of surrounding communities. APWU members in several locations joined the picket lines in solidarity.

The tentative deal includes a 12 percent raise over four years and “vast improvements in safety and staffing,” said USW President Leo Gerard.