DETROIT – Police officers were forced to intervene Thursday morning at the Marathon refinery strike in Detroit.
Strike began Wednesday
More than 200 members of Teamsters Local 283 walked out Wednesday morning, Sept. 4, 2024, as contract talks continue without a deal.
Members of the union voted by 95% to authorize a strike, so workers began picketing outside the Detroit refinery around 5 a.m. Wednesday.
The union and Marathon have been negotiating a contract since December. Picketers said the strike will continue 24/7 until an agreement is reached.
Marathon officials said they didn’t expect operations at the plant to be affected by the strike.
Police intervene Thursday
Local 4 cameras were rolling Thursday morning when picketers blocked petroleum trucks from entering the refinery.
Police officers were called to the scene, and they blocked the protestors from the roadway, allowing the trucks to get through.
The interaction was peaceful, and picketers complied with police.
As of 10:17 a.m. Thursday, picketers are still walking in the roadway and blocking some petroleum trucks. Detroit police officers are still at the scene.
Once several trucks become backed up at the entrance, officers have been blocking picketers to make room for trucks to get by. And then the process repeats.
For example, at 10:27 a.m., a group of 14 officers walked up to the picketers and formed walls on either side of the blocked roadway -- seven officers per side. They kept the picketers from passing as several trucks entered and exited the refinery.
Once the backup had been alleviated, police walked off and allowed the picketers to resume their marching.
Teamsters stance
Here’s what Michigan Teamsters President Kevin Moore said about the situation:
“The company has denied every proposal up and until, finally, they settled on finally giving the healthcare -- they wanted to take their healthcare away.
“They’re still stuck on a livable wage, which they’re not asking for much. They haven’t had a raise increase since COVID, and the company is making $17.1 billion a quarter, and they don’t make fuel to sell to us -- who buy it every day -- if you don’t have men and women like this going to work every day.”
Steve Hicks, president of Teamsters Local 283, said Marathon has been unwilling to bargain fairly with the Teamsters.
He said key points for this strike are wage increases, union security, and talks about subcontracting jobs. Workers want better wages and a wage that matches inflation.
“Michigan is no longer a right-to-work state, so we need union security where everyone is in the union, and, of course, wages,” Hicks said.
Marathon statement
Here’s a statement we received from Marathon:
On the evening of Sept. 3, Teamsters Local 283 notified Marathon Petroleum that hourly employees represented by the union at our Detroit refinery intend to engage in an economic strike in support of the union’s bargaining proposals, effective Sept. 4, 2024. We are disappointed that the union has announced a strike. Marathon Petroleum and the union have engaged in collective bargaining since December 4, 2023, meeting regularly for the last nine months to achieve a new labor agreement to replace the prior agreement that expired on January 31, 2024. The company has negotiated in good faith, but the union thus far has been unwilling to agree to acceptable terms for an agreement and, instead, has announced its intention to strike in support of its bargaining positions.
A safe and orderly handover of the facility to trained and qualified team members has been planned with the union for tomorrow. We are fully prepared and have appropriate plans in place to continue safely operating the facility with experienced Marathon employees. The safety of our employees, contractors and the community remains our top priority, and we are committed to maintaining our vigilant focus on compliance, reliability and care for the environment as we continue producing transportation fuels for the region; we do not anticipate supply disruptions.
Marathon Petroleum Corp.
