ILWU-IBU Oil Spill Response Workers on Strike Over Unfair Labor Practices
http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/08/21/oil-spill-response-workers-on-strike-for-first-contract/

Oil Spill Response Workers on Strike Over Unfair Labor Practices

by Mike Hall, Aug 21, 2008

Oil spill response workers, members of the Inlandboatmen's Union
(IBU), are on the picket line this week in Tacoma, Wash., striking
over what they say is illegal discrimination and intimidation by their
employer, the Marine Spill Response Corp. (MSRC).

In 2006, the workers voted to join the IBU, an affiliate of the
International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). But the company
has dragged its feet in negotiations and failed to reach a fair
contract with the boatmen. The workers also say they have been
threatened with violence.

The oil spill workers are among the many employees across the country
who face employer harassment, threats and intimidation even after they
form unions. The proposed Employee Free Choice Act would allow for
mediation and arbitration for such first-contract disputes because
one-third of the time, private-sector employers do not negotiate a
first contract.

In June, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) office in Seattle
issued a complaint against MSRC charging that the company "has been
interfering with, restraining and coercing employees" and
"discriminating in regard to…terms and conditions of employment."

The workers say the most recent example of the company's actions came
this week, when they were excluded from an important emergency
response training in Everett. They say they want the abuse and
discrimination to stop so the company can instead focus on providing
the best spill response possible.

Says striking responder Jason Connelly:

If an oil tanker ruptures in the Puget Sound today, we can't afford to
wait around for enough workers to arrive from other parts of the
country to help us out. You can't push the "pause" button during an
oil spill, so you need enough highly trained workers nearby who are
prepared to work immediately, before it's too late.

Klete Freudenstein, another responder, says that denying the training
to employees also puts the community at risk:

It makes no sense to deprive response workers of trainings that are
designed to make us more effective at spill response. We just want to
do the best job possible, but the company is acting out of spite—and
the community deserves better than that.

If a spill occurs, the workers will immediately return to work. Says
responder Jack Jones:

Our heart and soul is in protecting our waters and our community.
That's exactly why were here— because we can do the best job possible
if we have a say in improving operations.