No new contract talks scheduled as Phillips 66 oil refinery lockout continues
Four hundred members have been locked out of the Phillips 66 refinery since Monday. The union and management failed to reach agreement on a new contract on Thursday. There are no new negotiations planned for the weekend.
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Workers at the Phillips 66 Bayway Refinery in Linden remain off the job as a labor dispute enters its fifth day following a breakdown in contract negotiations.
There are no new contract negotiations set for Friday night or over the weekend for the employees of Phillips 66, who’ve been locked out of the Bayway Refinery in Linden since Monday.
Many of those employees are responsible for processing the heating oil, gasoline and jet fuel that comes out of the refinery. Others are operators, machinists and pipe fitters. Union leaders with Local 877 were not able to come to terms with management of the oil refinery when they last negotiated on Thursday.
Four hundred employees of the largest refinery on the east coast are looking for increased health benefits, more paid sick leave and comp-time for fatigue related to occasional extended shifts.
"We also wanted some language around fatigue. A lot of times, like myself, I’ll get scheduled for a 13-day window of work with one day off. And then return back the next day," said Jeff Sanford, president of Teamsters Local 877.
Others are concerned with safety and worry that if there were to be an oil spill or fire, those trained to handle such an emergency are on the picket line.
Justin Sampson is an operator with Phillips 66 for 13 years. He's also part of the fire brigade and tactical rescue team. He spoke with News 12 about the engineers and supervisors who are overseeing plant production.
"Their understanding of the units is entirely different than the operators who are running them every single day. We know the ins and outs of the units. Most of the people inside right now, they don’t go through that training nearly as often, and some of them have never at all," said Justin Sampson.
Trucks carrying fuel are getting in and out of the refinery with the help of Linden police.
Phillips 66 management says operations are safe within the refinery and continuing with full staff.
