The Oilworker: July 2019

FROM THE UNION

USW Submits Shareholder Proposals to Oil Company Annual Meetings

The USW continued its commitment to engaging companies at the shareholder level in 2019 by filing proposals at ExxonMobil, Marathon Petroleum and HollyFrontier.

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PES Workers’ Response to Fire Saves Community From Disaster; Company Announces Shut Down

Thanks to the quick thinking of USW Local 10-1 operators during the June 21 fire and explosion in the hydrofluoric acid unit at Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES), a dangerous cloud of hydrogen fluoride (HF) did not move over heavily populated neighborhoods.

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Oil Industry Prepares to go to Court over EPA Rule Allowing Year-Round Sales of Ethanol

The oil industry is fighting a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule issued on May 31 that allows E15 gasoline to be sold year-round across the country.

E15 has higher ethanol content and a high vapor pressure than conventional E10 gasoline. This makes the E15 gasoline evaporate more quickly and contribute to smog, which is why the EPA used to block its sale from June 1 to September 15 in smog-prone areas.

More ethanol affects the amount of oil in gasoline. With more ethanol, the integrated oil companies that explore, produce and refine oil cannot sell as much and must spend more to blend the biofuel into gasoline.

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Robot Inspection of Phillips 66 Tank Foreshadows Greater Automation

Phillips 66 announced at the end of May that a robot successfully inspected the interior of one of the company’s above-ground diesel storage tanks in California. Using a robot enabled the company to inspect the tank while it was full. Normally, a tank would have to be drained for workers to enter it and inspect the tank bottom’s integrity.

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PBF Will Buy Shell Martinez Refinery

Shell Oil plans to sell its Martinez, Calif., refinery in the San Francisco Bay area to PBF for around $1 billion.

Both companies announced the sale on June 11.

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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Has your local organized a group of workers, won an award, participated in a community event, won an arbitration, helped achieve a legislative victory, settled a safety issue, etc.?

Please contact Lynne Hancock at lhancock@usw.org, (office) 412-562-2442 or (cell) 615-828-6169.

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Press Inquiries

Media Contacts

Communications Director:
Jess Kamm at 412-562-2446

USW@WORK (USW magazine)
Editor R.J. Hufnagel

For industry specific inquiries,
Call USW Communications at 412-562-2442

Mailing Address

United Steelworkers
Communications Department
60 Blvd. of the Allies
Pittsburgh, PA 15222