Chicago, IL – On June 26, members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 7-1 and their families held a solidarity rally and marched outside of British Petroleum's (BP) Chicago corporate office. The rally was attended by USW members from locals all over Indiana, Illinois and beyond, as well as by members of USW International executive board. In support were local officials, members of the Chicago Teachers Union, community members and union workers from all around Chicago. 

Eric Schultz, president of USW Local 7-1, said in his speech, “They starve our families out and they're just going to wait and wait and wait until we break. What they don't understand is every day our membership's getting stronger. Every day!” Schultz then led the crowd in chants of, “One day longer! One day stronger!”

Since March 19, over 800 members of USW 7-1 have been locked out of their jobs at the BP oil refinery in Whiting, Indiana. USW 7-1 has called the lockout illegal, saying that BP has shown that they are more interested in breaking the union than they are at bargaining in good faith. BP’s offers at the bargaining table would cut pay, remove seniority-based promotions, further limit bargaining rights, and cut over 100 jobs.

This conflict began after BP brought in Jordan Marks as plant manager. BP hired Marks after he oversaw the ten-and-a-half month lockout of USW Local 13-243 workers at a ExxonMobil refinery in Beaumont, Texas. “These aren't negotiations. This is a ransom,” said Eric Schultz when speaking about the BP offer. 

The Whiting Indiana refinery is currently being operated by scabs brought in by BP from out of state. Since the lockout began, there has already been at least one incident where the refinery lost power, and a major flaring event occurred in April. Picketers outside the refinery were not notified of the flares by BP. Flaring is when a refinery burns off excess gases to prevent pressure buildups and is known to release toxic pollutants in the surrounding area while they do it. The picketers reported smelling sulfur and hydrogen.

“When they're scabbing it, they're putting the community and everybody in jeopardy that we could have a disaster or a catastrophe there. We can't stand for that. We cannot allow it. Our members know those jobs, and you know how to run that refinery better than anyone else. And we're going to make damn sure you get back there with your heads held high with your jobs!” said USW International Secretary-Treasurer Myles Sullivan in his speech at the rally. 

USW 7-1 is asking supporters to sign a petition to show that they stand united in solidarity with members of USW Local 7-1 and to demand BP end the lockout and negotiate a fair contract! The petition can be found at this link: usw.to/bp-end-lockout

#ChicagoIL #IL #Labor #USW #SteelWorkers #BP

Asheville, NC – Leaders of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and community environmentalists gathered in Pack Square, downtown Asheville, on July 17 to demand that BP pay for the disastrous oil spill that continues to devastate the Gulf Coast.

Three months into it, BP is continuing to put corporate interests ahead of the workers and the public. Instead of fully funding cleanup efforts and compensating those who are out of work because of BP’s disaster, BP is using a great deal of money to fund a public relations campaign to convince the public that they are behaving well. BP’s behavior is shocking to Americans because the devastating results are just all too obvious. Eleven dead workers. Tar balls and oil slicks polluting the water and beaches, dead fish, sea turtles and birds. Countless workers driven out of business or left unemployed.

Protesters chanted, “The people over profits! Seize BP!” and “The planet over profits! Seize BP!” while cars honked in solidarity as they passed through downtown. Sarah Buchner, a member of the University of North Carolina at Asheville SDS spoke out saying, “BP ignored crucial safety issues, cut corners and spent millions of dollars lobbying Congress to fight regulations that led to this tragedy in the first place. BP needs to be held accountable and we are demanding full reparations to the coast!”

#AshevilleNC #StudentsForADemocraticSocietySDS #BP #EnvironmentalJustice

Tallahassee, FL – Thirty students and community members gathered outside the Old State Capitol in Tallahassee on Wednesday, May 12th to protest BP’s big Gulf oil spill. Four rallies took place across Florida in response to the devastating environmental destruction that BP caused in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil spill crisis has yet to be resolved. Members of Gainesville Area Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) traveled to Tallahassee to show solidarity with the protest, called by the International ANSWER, and organized by the Center for Participant Education (CPE). The students are demanding, “Make BP Pay!”

Local ABC News crews filmed the protesters as they held a giant poster outside the Old State Capitol that read “Seize BP!” and collected signatures condemning British Petroleum for causing the oil leak. The enormous off shore drilling leak has devastated the delicate balance of ocean life in the Gulf. Cars honked their horns in solidarity as they passed by the busy intersection where the protest was held, and the crowd of participants grew as community members joined in throughout the evening.

“I think this protest demonstrates how the community responds to negligent corporations that harm the environment in their quest to turn a profit,” SDS member Justin Wooten said. “We can't allow a company like BP to go on harming the earth – we need to make BP pay for what they've done.”

#TallahasseeFL #BP #OilSpill #EnvironmentalJustice