railroad workers

By Railroad Workers United and Others - railroadconference.org, March 1, 2015

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are not the official position of the IWW (or even the IWW’s EUC) and do not necessarily represent the views of anyone but the author’s.

The Future of Railroads: Safety, Workers, Community & the Environment is the title of two back-to-back conferences; the first on Saturday, March 14, 2015 in Richmond, California; the second on Saturday, March 21 in Olympia, Washington.

Everyday a tragic trail derailment occurs, often transporting highly flammable Bakken Shale or Tar Sand, from North Dakota or Alberta, to refineries across North America. The 47 -- preventable-- deaths in Lac-Mégantic has wakened people to the dangers of oil trains and the movement of trains in general through their communities. Environmental activists are up-in-arms about the amounts of fossil fuels moving by rail. Farmers and other shippers are concerned about the congestion that has occurred in recent months, but in part to the oil boom. The rail networks in the U.S. and Canada and clogged with crude-by-rail, displacing the already heavy traffic of grains headed to port for export.

The public generally has no idea what goes on daily on America’s railroads. Chronic crew fatigue, single employee train crews, excessively long and heavy trains, draconian availability policies, short staffing, limited time off work create challenging safety issues of concern not just to railroaders, but to the entire population.

Please join us at this cutting edge conference that brings together railroad workers, environmentalists, community activists and concerned workers from other sectors, in order to build the movement for a safer and greener railroad, on that is more responsive to the needs of workers, trackside communities, citizens in general, and society as a whole.

Richmond is a perfect confluence for this conference as it has always been a company town, first for Santa Fe Railroad as the western terminus of its transcontinental railroad in 1900, then for Standard Oil (later becoming Chevron) in 1901 and its massive refinery complex, and again for Kaiser Industries with its four assembly line-like shipyards in the late 1930s through World War II. From 1910 until 1959 the Pullman Company located its largest West Coast rail car repair shop adjacent to the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe lines in the center of Richmond. It also fronts the San Francisco Bay with access to a channel of 40-60 feet deep, allowing the largest seagoing ships (mostly oil tankers these days) to call its ports. Despite still being the location of the Burlington Northern Sante Fe rail yard and Chevron's massive refinery, Richmond is a bottomed out deindustrialized city that puts its largely working class people of color population in the toxic shadow of oil, chemical and other polluting heavy industries.

In adjacent cities of Rodeo there is the Conoco Phillips Refinery, Benecia has Valero Refinery, and Martinez has both Shell and Tesoro Refineries (the latter currently on strike). They are served by both BNSF and Union Pacific Railroads and maritime wharfs. This area along the San Francisco and San Pablo Bays is statistically known as a "cancer cluster."

Compiled by x344543 - IWW Environmental Unionism Caucus, February 26, 2015

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are not the official position of the IWW (or even the IWW’s EUC) and do not necessarily represent the views of anyone but the author’s.

The following news items feature issues, discussions, campaigns, or information potentially relevant to green unionists:

Lead Stories:

• Register now for the Future of Railroads: Safety, Workers, Community & the Environment Conferences: Richmond, California (March 14, 2015) and Olympia, Washington (March 21, 2015) - railroadconference.org
• OSHA Whistleblower Investigator Blows Whistle on Own Agency; Employee says the federal whistleblower program isn’t protecting whistleblowers or the public - By Vicky Nguyen, Liz Wagner and Felipe Escamilla, NBC Bay Area, February 24, 2015

USW Refinery Workers Strike News:

• Flare-up roars at BP Whiting Refinery - By Joseph S. Pete, NWI.com, February 23, 2015
• On strike against the next "accident" - By Ragina Johnson, David Judd and Elizabeth Schulte, Socialist Worker, February 24, 2015
• Some contractors (unionized) not so bad, Steelworkers say - By LM Sixel, FuelFix, February 25, 2015
• Steelworkers union, Occupy Wall Street dump manure at ExxonMobil Torrance refinery - Staff, Daily Breeze, February 22, 2015
• Strike at U.S. Refineries Widens; Workers Walk Out of Three More Facilities - By Erin Ailworth and Alison Sider, Wall Street Journal, February 22, 2015
• Union chief says U.S. refinery strike could spread - By Erwin Seba, Reuters, February 24, 2015
• Union is striking for safety, Steelworkers’ international head says - By LM Sixel, FuelFix, February 24, 2015

1267-Watch:

• Bill to regulate vans and shuttles for railroad crews draws fans and foes - By Cathy McKitrick, Ogden Standard-Examiner, February 23, 2015
• Canada: Oil train accident shows new safety rules inadequate - Associated Press, February 23, 20155
• CN derailment shows new safety standards inadequate, watchdog says - By Paola Loriggio, The Globe and Mail, February 23, 2015
• Report Predicting 10 Oil-train Derailments Per Year Underscores Need for Immediate Moratorium on Crude-by-rail; Dangerous Trains Risk Hundreds of Deaths, $4 Billion in Damages Annually - By Jared Margolis, Center for Biological Diversity, February 23, 2015
• Unifor reaches late-night deal with CN - By Ella Bedard, Rabble.ca, February 24, 2015
• Why bitumen isn’t necessarily safer than Bakken - By David Thomas, Railway Age, February 23, 2015

Carbon Bubble:

• Labor negotiations at a standstill at Bruce Mansfield power plant - By Sam Kusic, Pittsburgh Business Times, February 24, 2015
• Oil Giant Shell Shelves Dirty Tar Sands Mine - By Andy Rowell, Oil Change International, February 24, 2015
• Is Oil Returning To $100 Or Dropping To $10? - By Martin Tillier, OilPrice.com, February 22, 2015
• Shell pulls plug on long-delayed Alberta oil sands mine - By Jeff Lewis, The Globe and Mail, February 23, 2015
• Shell Withdraws From Largest Tar Sands Project Yet - By Ari Phillips, Think Progress, February 25, 2015
• Texas oil tool companies cutting more than 1,100 jobs - By Collin Eaton, FuelFix, February 23, 2015

Green Jobs and Just Transition:

• Labour and Nature: Power in Numbers - By Tegan Tallullah, Post Growth Institute, February 24, 2015

Other News:

• Climate Strike! - By Sean Farmelo, Slaney St, January 18, 2015
• Flood Wall Street goes on trial - #Flood11 Collective Statement, February 24, 2015
• Government Documents Reveal Canadian Embassy Backed Mining Abuses in Mexico - By United Steelworkers Union and Mining Watch Canada, Mining Watch Canada, February 25, 2015; [related]: Community Responds to Report Revealing Complicity between Canadian Embassy in Excellon Violations against La Sierrita - By Ejido La Sierrita de Galeana, Tlahualilo, Durango, Mining Watch Canada, February 25, 2015
• Palisades Nuclear Power Plant denies wage lawsuit claims - By Jim Hayden, Holland Sentinel, February 24, 2015
• The Paris climate talks and the failure of states - By Gabriel Levy, People and Nature, February 25, 2015

For more green news, please visit our news feeds section on ecology.iww.org; Twitter #IWWEUC

Compiled by x344543 - IWW Environmental Unionism Caucus, February 22, 2015

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are not the official position of the IWW (or even the IWW’s EUC) and do not necessarily represent the views of anyone but the author’s.

The following news items feature issues, discussions, campaigns, or information potentially relevant to green unionists:

Lead Stories:

• Register now for the Future of Railroads: Safety, Workers, Community & the Environment Conferences: Richmond, California (March 14, 2015) and Olympia, Washington (March 21, 2015) - railroadconference.org
• The Seeds of an Alternative; Thousands of oil refinery workers are striking for safer working conditions. Their fight is central to the struggle against climate change - By Trish Kahle, Jacobin, February 19, 2015

USW Refinery Workers Strike News:

• BP picketing outside, work inside continues - Karen Caffarini, Chicago Post-Tribune, February 17, 2015
• CBE Demands Safety from Chevron in Richmond during refinery workers strike - Communities for a Better Environment, February 17, 2015
• Fitch: Refinery strikes could send gasoline up if they extend into driving season - By Collin Eaton, FuelFix, February 18, 2015
• KPFA WorkWeek February 17, 2015; USW Oil Strike And PMA Lockout OF ILWU On West Coast Docks - KPFA [Soundcloud File]
• LyondellBasell: Strikers, come back to work - By LM Sixel, FuelFix, February 18, 2015
• Strike update: BP training additional replacement workers - By LM Sixel, FuelFix, February 18, 2015

We Just Come to Work Here; We Don't Come to Die:

• Blast hits Exxon Mobil refinery in Southern California [Video] - Associated Press, February 18, 2015
• Explosion at Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance, California, injures four - By Nichola Groom, Reuters, February 18, 2015
• Explosion Rips Through Torrance Refinery, Shakes South Bay; Residents near the oil refinery said the ground shook and ash rained from above after the blast - By Jonathan Lloyd and Toni Guinyard, NBC Los Angeles, February 18, 2015
• Gas prices jump after Torrance refinery explosion - By Veronica Rocha, Los Angeles Times, February 19, 2015
• Huge Explosion Rips Through California Oil Refinery, Adding Fuel To Oil Worker Strike - Emily Atkin and Sacha Feinman, Think Progress, February 18, 2015
• Torrance ExxonMobil Refinery Rocked by Large Explosion; Earthquake-Like Shaking Reported - By Tracy Bloom, Melissa Pamer, Christina Pascucci, Erin Myers and Mary Beth McDade, KTLA TV 5, February 18, 2015
• USW: California Refinery Explosion Provides Further Evidence of Need for Safety Improvements; Union Calls on Industry to Negotiate Solutions to Protect Workers and Communities - By Wayne Ranick, PR News Wire, February 18, 2015

1267-Watch:

• After Oil Train Derailment, Will West Virginia Finally Protect Its Water Supply? - by Katie Valentine, Think Progress, February 17, 2015
• As Extreme Cold Engulfs Eastern U.S., Fossil Fuel Mishaps Leave Disaster Areas on Fire - By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now, February 19, 2015
• Citing government threats, Teamsters suppress Canadian Pacific rail strike - By Carl Bronski, World Socialist Website, February 17, 2015
• Company Whose Train Exploded Had Spent Millions on Lobbying, Campaign Contributions - By Andy Szal, Chem.Info, February 20, 2015
• Derailment highlights crude oil train, water safety issues - By Ken Ward Jr, Charleston Gazette, February 17, 2015
• Electrified rail one of best clean transport options - By Patrick Mazza, Cascadia Planet, February 17, 2015
• Exploding Trains, No New Regulations, Record Industry Profits: The Oil-by-Rail Story - By Justin Mikulka, DeSmog Blog, February 18, 2015
• Last-minute negotiations end strikes at CP Rail - By Ella Bedard, Rabble.Ca, February 17, 2015
• How Would You Like Your Oil Spilled Today Sir?; Oil Trains Spill More Often, But Pipelines Spill Bigger - By Emily Atkin, Think Progress, February 18, 2015
• ND oil train safeguards too little, too late [video] - by Rachel Maddow, Rachel Maddow Show, February 17, 2015
• Oil trains are blowing up all over the place - By John Light, Grist, February 17, 2015
• Report: Oil Trains Threaten 25 Million Americans, Iconic Rivers, Wildlife; Moratorium on ‘Bomb’ Trains Needed Till Safety Can Be Ensured [Notable: includes demands suggested by Railroad Workers United] - By Jared Margolis, Center for Biological Diversity, February 19, 2015
• Riverkeeper Calls for Immediate Steps to Protect Public From Danger of Crude Oil Trains - By Leah Rae, River Keeper, February 18, 2015
• Stephen Harper prepares to trample on workers' rights yet again - By Elizabeth May, Rabble.Ca, February 17, 2015
• Train that derailed in West Virginia had newer crude oil tanker cars - By Jeff Pegues, CBS News, February 17, 2015
• Trains Hauling Crude Oil Across North America Just Keep Exploding - By James West, Climate Desk, February 17, 2015
• Two More ‘Bomb Train’ Explosions Should Be ‘Wake-Up Call to Politicians to Stop These Dangerous Oil Trains’ - By Anastasia Pantsios, EcoWatch, February 17, 2015

Carbon Bubble:

• Marathon to lay off 350 to 400 workers - By Robert Grattan, FuelFix, February 19, 2015

Green Jobs and Just Transition:

• Analysis: Enercon affiliate loses labour dispute over weekend work - By Sara Knight, Wind Power Monthly, February 17, 2015
• Fossil fuel divestment backlash forces the question: Which side are you on? - By Kate Arnoff, The Ecologist, February 18, 2015

Greenwashing:

• The Bitter Twilight of Social Democracy: NDP, unions and enviro NGOs back transit referendum - By Aiyanas Ormond, The Mainlander, February 13, 2015
• Despite Claims of Progress, Labor and Environmental Violations Continue to Plague Apple - By Nicki Lisa Cole and Jenny Chan, Truthout, February 19, 2015

An Injury to One is an Injury to All!:

• Support the Injured Colombian Workers!!!  - By Paige Shell Spurling, Alliance for Global Justice, February 17, 2015

Other News:

• Doc Shows Canadian Police View Environmentalists, Not Climate Change, as Real Threat; RCMP document says 'small but violent-prone faction' of groups could pose 'a credible threat' to security - By Andrea Germanos, Common Dreams, February 19, 2015
• Ohio Farmers Union opposes proposed pipeline project - By Aaron Krause, Norwalk Reflector, February 16, 2015
• Thousands of Polish farmers march in Warsaw - By Julian Rose, La Via Campesina, February 19, 2015
• Trade Deals Should Come With Their Own Warnings for Public Health - By Chuck Idelson, National Nurses United, February 18, 2015

For more green news, please visit our news feeds section on ecology.iww.org; Twitter #IWWEUC

Compiled by x344543 - IWW Environmental Unionism Caucus, February 18, 2015

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are not the official position of the IWW (or even the IWW’s EUC) and do not necessarily represent the views of anyone but the author’s.

Within the last several days there have been two crude-by-rail accidents: one in Ontario, the other in West Virgina. Meanwhile, one of the unions representing the railroad workers at Canada Pacific almost went on strike (until the Canadian government, acting clearly on behalf of the employing class and the latter's need to continue profiting off of crude-by-rail, threatened to intervene). CN was prepared to use untrained managers as "replacement workers" (scabs), not unlike the fossil fuel corporations have likewise threatened to use scabs in the oil refineries--for example Chevron in Richmond--during the current Steelworkers' strike.

Given the circumstances it's more urgent than ever that eco-activists, front-line communities, unionists (and those that are combinations of them or all of them) register to participate in the upcoming Future of Railroads: Safety, Workers, Community & the Environment Conferences: Richmond, California (March 14, 2015) and Olympia, Washington (March 21, 2015) - railroadconference.org, or organize one of your own.

Beyond that, it's clear that the capitalist driven profit motive, which encourages the extraction and transport of increasingly volatile fuels, under increasingly unsafe conditions, using as few (overworked, exploited) workers as possible places not only communities along the rail lines, but our entire existence on this planet at risk. These catastrophes cannot be avoided unless we abolish wage slavery and live in harmony with the earth!

Lead Stories:

• After Latest US Oil Train Disaster, Expert Says Tens of Millions Living Inside 'Blast Zone'; 'We need to be moving away from production, transportation and use of fossil fuels, period—if we want a livable planet, that is.' - By Lauren McCauley, Common Dreams, February 17, 2015
• Another bomb train blows up: Could workers put an end to this madness? - By Peter Rugh, System Change not Climate Change, February 17, 2015

Ontario CN Derailment:

• Canadian National’s main line shuts after crude cars derail - Bloomberg, February 15, 2015
• Fiery Oil Train Crash Lights Up Frozen Ontario Woods - News Editor, Environmental News Service, February 16, 2015
• Major Canadian National Railway Crude Oil Train Derailment and Fire in Ontario - By John Kristensen, Railroaded, February 17, 2015
• Oil Train Derails In Canada, Spills Unknown Amount Of Crude Oil - By Katie Valentine, Think Progress, February 16, 2015

Canadian Pacific Contract Fight:

• BLET President blasts CP for unsafe rail practices and threatening employees - Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, February 15, 2015
• Rail Strike May Disrupt Industries Across North America - By Ian Austen, New York Times, February 15, 2015
• Teamsters on strike at Canadian Pacific - Teamsters Canada, February 15, 2015
• Canada Pacific rail and Teamsters agree to arbitration, ending strike - Bloomberg, February 16, 2015
• Canadian Rail Strike Ends as Parties Agree to Arbitration - By Ian Austin, New York Times, February 17, 2015

West Virginia CSX Derailment:

• Breaking: Shale Oil Bomb Train Explodes in W Virginia Neighborhood - By Chip Northrup, No Fracking Way, February 16, 2015
• Fiery Crude Oil Train Derailment in West Virginia - By John Kristensen, Railroaded, February 17, 2015
• Huge fire in West Virginia after oil train derails, sending tanker into river; Around 200 people evacuated from scene of crash south-east of Charleston as rescuers fight to reach one house set ablaze - Associated Press, February 16, 2015
• Massive West Virginia Explosion Highlights Problems With Oil Train Regulation - By Emily Atkin, Think Progress, February 17, 2015
• Oil Train Derailment in West Virginia Causes Explosion, Sends Tanker Cars into River - Cetology via WVNS TV, February 16, 2015
• Oil Train Derails, Explodes, and Spill into West Virginia’s Kanawha River: Stop the Madness - Columbia River Keeper, February 17, 2015
• State of Emergency in West Virginia After Latest Crude by Rail Disaster - By Andy Rowell, Oil Change International, February 16, 2015
• State of emergency declared in West Virginia after train derails, explodes - By Ryan Parker, Los Angeles Times, February 16, 2015
• Train derailment sends crude oil cars into Kanawha River; explosions erupt - By Jeff Jenkins, West Virginia Metro News, February 16, 2015
• Two trains carrying crude oil derail and burn in the past three days, in West Virginia & Ontario - By Meteor Blades, Daily Kos, February 16, 2015
• West Virginia In State Of Emergency After Massive Oil Train Explosion - By Emily Atkin, Think Progress, February 17, 2015
• West Virginia Oil Train Derailment Highlights Need for Significant Safety Reforms; Fiery Wreck, Which Follows Weekend Derailment in Ontario, Sets River Ablaze, Forces Evacuations, Threatens Drinking Water - By Mollie Matteson, Center for Biological Diversity, February 16, 2015
• West Virginia Rail Cars Carrying Bakken Crude Crash, Burn as Feds Study New Regulations - By Jamison Cocklin, NGI Shale Daily, February 17, 2015
• West Virginia Train Derailment: Fireball Erupts Into Sky As Derailment Sends Tanker Into River - By Anastasia Williams and Elara Mosquera, ABC News, February 16, 2015
• West Virginia train derailment puts focus on rail safety - By Jennifer A. Dlouhy, FuelFix, February 17, 2015
• West Virginia Train Derails, Leaks Crude Oil Into Kanawha River - By Susie Madrak, Crooks and Liars, February 16, 2015

Other:

• How a GOP Rep Is Delaying Safety Improvements for “Bomb Trains” - By Justin Mikulka, DeSmogBlog, February 13, 2015
• Revised Oil-Train Safety Rule Said to Delay Upgrade Deadline - By Jim Snyder, Bloomberg, February 12, 2015

For more green news, please visit our news feeds section on ecology.iww.org; Twitter #IWWEUC

Compiled by x344543 - IWW Environmental Unionism Caucus, February 15, 2015

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are not the official position of the IWW (or even the IWW’s EUC) and do not necessarily represent the views of anyone but the author’s.

The following news items feature issues, discussions, campaigns, or information potentially relevant to green unionists:

Lead Stories:

• Register now for the Future of Railroads: Safety, Workers, Community & the Environment Conferences: Richmond, California (March 14, 2015) and Olympia, Washington (March 21, 2015) - railroadconference.org
• Support the USW Oil Workers ULP Strike and Defense Fund - USW Fundraising Appeal

USW Refinery Workers Strike News:

• [Photos] USW Tesoro Picket 2/12/15 (Martinez, California) - United Steelworkers, February 12, 2015
• At my oil refinery, my life is worth the price of a pie; We don’t want to be exposed to potentially fatal hazards unnecessarily. That’s why we’ve organised the largest strike since 1980 to demand worker safe - By Butch Cleve, The Guardian, February 12, 2015
• Health and Safety Concerns Forced Workers into a Work Stoppage [Podcast] - By Steve Garey, United Steelworkers, February 9, 2015
• The same fight; Nurses support the United Steelworkers on their strike lines - By Lucia Hwang, National Nurses United, February 15, 2015 [related] Nurses support refinery protest - By Rick Hurd, San Jose Mercury News, February 13, 2015
• Shell, union spar over picket line etiquette - By LM Sixel, FuelFix, February 13, 2015
• Three U.S. Oil Plants Targeted by Union Strike Report Upsets - By Lynn Doan and Daniel Murtaugh, Bloomberg, February 11, 2015
• USW Striking Oil Workers Speakout For Health And Safety At Tesoro Refinery [video] - By Steve Zeltser, Labor Video Project, February 12, 2015
• Washington Refinery Workers Protest for Better Working and Safety Conditions; Thirteen workers were killed in accidents at two refineries in the state in recent years - By Jonathan Rosenblum, Alternet, February 10, 2015
• [Another Strike?] 1,100 natural gas utility workers on Long Island eye walkout - Associated Press, February 12, 2015

Carbon Bubble:

• Apache slashing Eagle Ford drilling rigs - By Jennifer Hiller, FuelFix, February 13, 2015
• Cenovus to cut 15% of staff, freeze pay - By Michael Allan McCrae, Mining.Com, February 12, 2015
• Driller: More than 1,000 field hands out of work as rigs decline - By Collin Eaton, FuelFix, February 12, 2015
• Hercules Offshore lays off 30 percent of workforce - By Ryan Holeywell, FuelFix, February 12, 2015
• Mirroring oil, this fossil fuel is plunging, too - By John W. Schoen, CNBC, February 11, 2015
• Texas idles more drilling rigs - By Jennifer Hiller, FuelFix, February 13, 2015

Green Jobs and Just Transition:

• California labor: "There are no jobs on a dead planet" - By Michelle Kern & Alex Farr, People's World, February 10, 20155

Global Anti-Capitalism:

• The Debt Slavery Must End to Prevent Environmental Catastrophes: Will Greece Kick Start a Paradigm Shift? - By Stefano Balbi, Common Dreams, February 10, 2015

Other News:

• Constitution Pipeline Threatening 7 PA Landowners With Un-Constitutional Eminent Domain - Energy Justice Summer, February 14, 2015
• Death toll in Brazil offshore oil platform explosion climbs to 5 - Natural Gas Watch, February 11, 2015 [related] Death toll of Brazilian oil ship explosion rises to 5 - Associated Press, February 12, 2015
• Enormous Toxic Cloud Shrouds Six Towns In Spain After Blast At Chemical Plant (VIDEOS) - By Dylan Hock, Addicting Info, February 12, 2015
• Exclusive: Exxon wants five-year Beaumont pact to avert strikes during buildout - By Erwin Seba, Reuters, February 12, 2015
• Growing voices say gig workers need protections, benefits - By Carolyn Said, San Francisco Chronicle, February 13, 2015
• Homophobic culture permeates mining industry - By Ashley Renders, Corporate Knights, February 6, 2015
• Libya reopens strike-hit oil port as U.N. convenes talks - By Ahmed Elumami, Reuters, February 10, 2015
• The Lumber Man In Charge of Climate Policy; Bay Area billionaire Robert Fisher profits by logging California's North Coast forests, even as Governor Jerry Brown has tapped him to help implement the state's anti-global warming agenda - By Will Parrish, East Bay Express, February 11, 2015
• Peru anti-oil protest leaves 1 dead, 22 wounded - Associated Press, February 11, 2015
• VT Gas pulls the plug on pipeline expansion to NY - By Dan D’Ambrosio, Burlington Free Press, February 10, 2015

For more green news, please visit our news feeds section on ecology.iww.org; Twitter #IWWEUC

Compiled by x344543 - IWW Environmental Unionism Caucus, February 10, 2015

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are not the official position of the IWW (or even the IWW’s EUC) and do not necessarily represent the views of anyone but the author’s.

The following news items feature issues, discussions, campaigns, or information potentially relevant to green unionists:

Lead Stories:

• Register now for the Future of Railroads: Safety, Workers, Community & the Environment Conferences: Richmond, California (March 14, 2015) and Olympia, Washington (March 21, 2015) - railroadconference.org
• An Oil Worker & a Union Staffer Explain Why 1,000s of Oil Workers Across the Country Are On Strike - By David Bacon, In These Times, February 12, 2015 [related] USW Web Petition: Safe Refineries Save Lives!

USW Refinery Workers Strike News:

• Climate activists have to stand with the strikers - By Ragina Johnson, Socialist Worker, February 12, 2015
• Labor talks to resume Tuesday - By L.M. Sixel, FuelFix, February 9, 2015 [related] Oil Union Says Shell Talks to Resume in a Week Amid Strike - By Lynn Doan, Bloomberg, February 11, 2015
• Nurses Stand in Solidarity with Steelworkers Amid Safety Concerns - National Nurses United, February 9, 2015
• Oil Workers Are Striking Because They're Underpaid and Overworked—and It's Killing Them - By Rebecca Leber, New Republic, February 10, 2015
• Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on the USW Oil Workers’ Unfair Labor Practice Strike - By Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO, February 11, 2015
• Striking Oil Workers Say They’re Fighting Deadly Working Conditions - By Rebecca Burns, In These Times, February 11, 2015
• Tesoro Refinery strike moves into second week - By Laura Anthony, KGO ABC 7 News, February 10, 2015
• USW Building International Solidarity; Steelworkers President Seeks Meeting with Shell CEO - United Steelworkers, February 9, 2015

Rail Safety:

• Teamsters give CP Rail 72-hour strike notice; 3,330 locomotive engineers and conductors could walk off the job this weekend - By Tracy Johnson, CBC News, February 10, 2015

Carbon Bubble:

• Abandon ship! Riggers flee the collapsing shale oil industry - By Giles Parkinson, ReNew Economy, February 11, 2015
• FMC Technologies to cut about 2,000 jobs - By Collin Eaton, Fuel Fix, February 11, 2015
• Fracking Industry in “Severe Crisis” - By Andy Rowell, Oil Change International, February 11, 2015
• Global oil layoffs exceed 100,000 - Bloomberg, February 12, 2015
• Halliburton to cut 5,000 to 6,500 jobs - By Collin Eaton, FuelFix, February 10, 2015
• Oil budgets slashed to protect shareholder dividends - By Joshua Cain, Fuel Fix, February 9, 2015
• Oil layoffs could come back to haunt the industry - By Tom DiChristopher, CNBC, February 10, 2015
• Why Public Banks Outperform Private Banks: Unfair Competition or a Better Mousetrap? - By Ellen Brown, Web of Debt Blog, February 10, 2015

Green Jobs and Just Transition:

• Solar Jobs Boom Makes Keystone XL Pipeline Look Like A Tinker Toy - By Tina Casey, Clean Technica, February 12, 2015
• Texas solar jobs increasing - By Ryan Honeywell, FuelFix, February 12, 2015

Global Anti-Capitalism:

• Can Bolivia Chart a Sustainable Path Away From Capitalism? - By Chris Williams and Marcela Olivera, Truthout, January 28, 2015
• Naomi Klein on how to build a more kick-ass climate movement - By Staff, Grist, February 10, 2015
• Photos: Coal strike in Poland intensifies - Al Jazeera, February 9, 2015
• Polish Farmers Blockade Motorways Across Country - La Via Campesina, February 10, 2015
• Syria’s Kurdish Revolution; the Anarchist Element & the Challenge of Solidarity - By Bill Weinberg, Fifth Estate, Spring 2015 [related] The No State Solution: Institutionalizing Libertarian Socialism in Kurdistan - By Alexander Kolokotronis, New Politics, November 2, 2014

An Injury to One is an Injury to All!:

• Rising Tide North America Statement of Solidarity with Anti-Fossil Fuel Activists in the Northwest - By Rising Tide North America, February 9, 2015

Other News:

• A City Where Everyone Works, There is No Police, and the Salary is 1200 Euros - Live Travel Enjoy, February 6, 2015
• Court denies appeal by worker who claimed fracking chemicals blinded him - By Matt Miller, The Patriot News, February 11, 2015
• The looming climate catastrophe - By Chris Williams, Socialist Worker, February 4, 2015
• Making occupational illness visible: a call for a coalition between scientists and workers - European Trade Union Institute, February 10, 2015
• Market no solution to climate catastrophe - By James Plested, Red Flag, January 29, 2015
• It May Not Be Making Headlines But That Doesn’t Mean It’s Over….Update on EBOLA [audio] - By Pattie Lockard, Nurse Talk Radio, February 10, 2015
• Oil ship explosion in Brazil kills three, union says - Associated Press, February 11, 2015

For more green news, please visit our news feeds section on ecology.iww.org; Twitter #IWWEUC

Compiled by x344543 - IWW Environmental Unionism Caucus, February 10, 2015

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are not the official position of the IWW (or even the IWW’s EUC) and do not necessarily represent the views of anyone but the author’s.

The following news items feature issues, discussions, campaigns, or information potentially relevant to green unionists:

Lead Stories:

• Register now for the Future of Railroads: Safety, Workers, Community & the Environment Conferences: Richmond, California (March 14, 2015) and Olympia, Washington (March 21, 2015) - railroadconference.org
• Demanding Respect for Worker Safety - by Leo Gerard, International President, USW, Huffington Post, February 9, 2015 [related] USW Web Petition: Safe Refineries Save Lives!
• Thousands of USW Oil Workers, Supporters Take Action in National Day of Action for Safe Refineries, Secure Jobs, and Healthy Communities - By Kate Aronoff, United Steelworkers Press Release, February 9, 2015

USW Refinery Workers Strike News:

• Carson’s Tesoro refinery one of 9 U.S. locations being picketed by United Steelworkers during strike - By Sandy Mazza, Daily Breeze, February 2, 2015
• Largest Steelworkers Strike in Decades Shows No Signs of Abating - By Kate Aronoff, Truthout, February 9, 2015
• Members from District 12 Rally on National Day of Action; Photos from Carson, CA., of the rally of members, their families and supporters for oil workers. Early crowd estimates set at 2,000 people - United Steel Workers Press Release, February 9, 2015
• Steelworkers rally at two local refineries to support strikers in other states - By Jane M. Von Bergen, Philadelphia Inquirer, February 7, 2015
• Two BP refineries join steelworkers’ strike; One BP plant is in Toledo; consumer worries could push gasoline higher - By David Koenig, Associated Press, February 9, 2015
• USW, Allies in Europe United in Fight for Safety at Oil Refineries; Striking Union Members Join Forces with Workers in UK, Netherlands - United Steel Workers Press Release, February 9, 2015
• USW Local 241 Members and their Families Rally in Support of National Oil Bargaining Policy Committee - By Jane M. Von Bergen, United Steel Workers Press Release, February 8, 2015
• United Steelworkers Widens Oil Refinery Strike - By Jane M. Von Bergen, Al Jazeera and Reuters, February 8, 2015

Rail Safety:

• CP Rail train conductor speaks out on her firing after Banff derailment - CBC News, February 9, 2015

Carbon Bubble:

• Baker Hughes to lay off 110, close plant in North Texas - By Collin Eaton, FuelFix, February 9, 2015

March for Real Climate Leadership:

• KPFA FM Livestream of the March for Real Climate Leadership in Oakland, California | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | - February 7, 2015

Other News:

• Environmental justice sought for people of color, poor; Symposium participants share stories, strategies of taking on big industry, agriculture - By Rona Kobell, Bay Journal, January 15, 2015
• Pink Is Not Green: Companies That Support Fighting Cancer Should Not Use Chemicals That Cause It - Annie Sartor, EcoWatch, February 9, 2015
• PA Gov. Wolf Issued 73 Fracking Permits in Two Weeks, On Pace for 7,300 in First Term - By Jane M. Von Bergen, Energy Justice Summer, February 9, 2015

For more green news, please visit our news feeds section on ecology.iww.org; Twitter #IWWEUC

Compiled by x344543 - IWW Environmental Unionism Caucus, February 9, 2015

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are not the official position of the IWW (or even the IWW’s EUC) and do not necessarily represent the views of anyone but the author’s.

The following news items feature issues, discussions, campaigns, or information potentially relevant to green unionists:

Lead Stories:

• Register now for the Future of Railroads: Safety, Workers, Community & the Environment Conferences: Richmond, California (March 14, 2015) and Olympia, Washington (March 21, 2015) - railroadconference.org

USW Refinery Workers Strike News:

• BP Cleanup Crews, Refinery Workers, Fenceline Communities and the Effects of API-Funded Science - By Karen Savage, Bridge the Gulf, February 6, 2015
• Building unions return to Kentucky refinery despite Steelworkers' Picketlines - By Jarrett Renshaw, Reuters, February 6, 2015
• CBE Supports Striking Refinery Workers - Communities for a Better Environment, February 7, 2015
• First Nationwide Oil Worker Strike In Decades Grows Even Bigger - By Ari Phillips, Think Progress, February 8, 2015
• Steelworkers strike extends to BP plants outside Texas - By LM Sixel, FuelFix, February 7, 2015
• Supporters join steelworkers on strike at Tesoro: Union leaders call for nationwide “Day of Action” as a sign of solidarity - By Evan Marczynski , Go Skagit, February 8, 2015
• Union says U.S. refinery strike widened; cites unfair labor practices - By Erwin Seba, Reuters, February 7, 2015
• US Oil-Worker Strike Reaches BP Plants With Talks on Hold - By Lynn DoanAngela and Greiling Keane, Bloomberg, February 6, 2015
• USW Oil Workers at BP Refineries in Indiana and Ohio Join Unfair Labor Practice Strike - By Lynne Hancock and Tony Montana, USW Press Release, February 7, 2015
• United Steelworkers rally in downtown Houston after rejecting Shell contract offer - By LM Sixel, FuelFix, February 6, 2015
• White House urges USW to strangle oil workers’ strike - By Jerry White and E.P. Bannon, World Socialist Website, February 6, 2015

Crude by Rail:

• CP Rail, Teamsters union tensions near boiling point; Latest fight involves union members training management to drive trains - By Kyle Bakx, CBC News, February 6, 2015
• Teamsters Membership Authorize Strike Action at CP - By Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, CNW, February 7, 2015

Carbon Bubble:

• Baker Hughes to close plant, cut 60 jobs in Louisiana - By Collin Eaton, FuelFix, February 6, 2015
• Siemens to cut 7,800 employees - By Collin Eaton, FuelFix, February 6, 2015
• The Oil Price Collapse Is Not Just Another Bust Cycle - By Michael T. Klare, The Nation, February 4, 2015

Green Jobs and Just Transition:

• Syriza can show ‘another energy is possible’ - By Sean Sweeney, Trade Unions for Energy Democracy, February 7, 2015

March for Real Climate Leadership:

• Anti-Fracking Protest Shuts Down California State Building, Street - Earth First! Newswire, February 6, 2015
• Anti-Fracking Activists Stage Direct Action in San Francisco, 12 Arrested - Rising Tide North America, February 6, 2015
• Californians March for Real Climate Leadership Against Fracking - Revolution News, February 7, 2015
• 'Game-Changing March for Climate' as Californians Rise Up Against Fracking; Thousands kick off protest to demand Governor Jerry Brown halt toxic drilling in stated - By Sarah Lazare, Common Dreams, February 7, 2015
• Protesters march in Oakland, push for Jerry Brown to ban fracking - By Victoria Colliver, San Francisco Chronicle, February 7, 2015

Other News

• Bulgarian anarcho-syndicalists protest railway cuts, privatization’ - By Karetelnik, Libcom.org, February 5, 2015

For more green news, please visit our news feeds section on ecology.iww.org; Twitter #IWWEUC

Compiled by x344543 - IWW Environmental Unionism Caucus, February 5, 2015

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are not the official position of the IWW (or even the IWW’s EUC) and do not necessarily represent the views of anyone but the author’s.

The following news items feature issues, discussions, campaigns, or information potentially relevant to green unionists:

Lead Stories:

• Register now for the Future of Railroads: Safety, Workers, Community & the Environment Conferences: Richmond, California (March 14, 2015) and Olympia, Washington (March 21, 2015) - railroadconference.org
• The end of conductors? - Featuring Ron Kaminkow, MSNBC, January 29, 2015
• Labor Landscape Analysis - By Joe Uehline, Labor Network for Sustainability, February 4, 2015

USW Refinery Workers Strike News:

• 3,800 Oil Workers in Four States Enter Fourth Day of Strike - By Kate Arnoff, In These Times, February 4, 2015
• Fourth day of U.S. refineries strike ends with new offer - By Erwin Seba, Reuters, February 4, 2015
• Oil workers’ strike for safety reflects danger of fossil fuels - By Phil Aroneanu, 350.Org, February 4, 2015
• Oil workers strike for their lives - By Elizabeth Schulte, Socialist Worker, February 5, 2015
• Organized Labor Showing Signs of Life - By David Macaray, Huffington Post, February 3, 2015
• Safety Is Life-or-Death, Say Refinery Strikers - By Samantha Winslow, Labor Notes, February 5, 2015
• Striking for safe working conditions - By Ed Schultz (The Ed Show), MSNBC, February 2, 2015
• USW Oil Workers to Rally at Shell Headquarters - United Steelworkers Press Release, February 4, 2015
• WFTU in solidarity with workers in US oil refineries -  World Federation of Trade Unions Press Release, February 3, 2015
• WIN News Report: Steelworkers Refinery Strike Is About Safe Staffing - By Doug Cunningham, Workers Independent News, February 4, 2015

Carbon Bubble:

• U.S. loses oil jobs - By Jennifer A. Dlouhy, FuelFix, February 6, 2015
• Weatherford to cut 5,000 jobs, mostly in western hemisphere - By Collin Eaton, FuelFix, February 4, 2015
• Weatherford to ax 3,000 more jobs as it cuts layers, execs say - By Collin Eaton, FuelFix, February 5, 2015
• Weatherford to lay off 5,000 in wake of oil price decline - By Jennifer Hiller, FuelFix, February 5, 2015
• Weatherford increases layoff plans from 5,000 to 8,000 - By Jennifer Hiller, FuelFix, February 6, 2015

Green Jobs and Just Transition:

• Repower Our Schools: 100% Renewable Energy Offers Schools Savings, Health and Learning Opportunities - By Monica Embrey, Greenpeace Blogs, February 3, 2015 [related] Green Schools: AFT President Thinks Public School Buildings Need Extreme Makeover - By Randi Weingarten, Blue Green Alliance, February 4, 2015
• Solar Jobs Benefit Economy, Maybe More Than Oil and Gas Jobs - By Deborah Lawrence, Energy Policy Forum, January 31, 2015
• The War On Solar Is Real, Unlike the "War on Coal" - By Mike Gaworecki, DeSmog Blog, February 5, 2015

Other News of Interest:

• Farmworker Tribunal - Boycott Sakuma Berries, February 4, 2015
• Photos released from 2013 Entergy ANO fatal drop of a very heavy load - By David Lochbaum, Union of Concerned Scientists, February 3, 2015
• Raw log exports skyrocket in British Columbia - Wilderness Committee Press Release, Eco Report, February 4, 2015
• West Virginia Coal Mine Owners Have Blood on Their Hands - By James Green, The Daily Beast, February 5, 2015

For more green news, please visit our news feeds section on ecology.iww.org; Twitter #IWWEUC

Compiled by x344543 - IWW Environmental Unionism Caucus, February 5, 2015

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are not the official position of the IWW (or even the IWW’s EUC) and do not necessarily represent the views of anyone but the author’s.

The following news items feature issues, discussions, campaigns, or information potentially relevant to green unionists:

Lead Story:

• Register now for the Future of Railroads: Safety, Workers, Community & the Environment Conferences: Richmond, California (March 14, 2015) and Olympia, Washington (March 22, 2015) - railroadconference.org

USW Refinery Workers Strike News:

• Greens get behind striking oil workers - By John Light, Grist, February 3, 2015
• In Stand for People and Planet Over Profit, Green Groups Back Oil Worker Strike - By Lauren McCauley, Common Dreams, February 3, 2015
• Local Union President Says National Oil Refinery Strike Isn’t About Wages, It's About Safety - By Sydney Brownstone, The Stranger, February 2, 2015 [USW video]
• Martinez: Tesoro refinery among nine plants where strikes planned - By George Avalos and Rick Hurd, Bay Area News Group / San Jose Mercury News, February 2, 2015
• Refinery workers in Martinez, elsewhere go on strike - By Michael Cabanatuan, San Francisco Chronicle, February 1, 2015
• Solidarity with Striking Refinery Workers - By David Turnbull, Oil Change International, February 2, 2015
• Strike negotiators back at the table Tuesday night - By LM Sixel, FuelFix, February 3, 2015
• Tesoro Refinery workers strike over work conditions, contract - By Laura Anthony, KGO ABC 7, February 2, 2015
• Tough talk from Shell, union as refinery pay talks resume - By Erwin Seba, Reuters, February 3, 2015
• United Steelworkers stage downtown Houston protest at LyondellBasell HQ - By LM Sixel, FuelFix, February 3, 2015
• For bargaining updates call 888-429-4217

Crude by Rail:

• Safety Board Says Transport Canada Must Do More To Keep Railways Safe - By John Kristensen, Railroaded, February 2, 2015

Carbon Bubble:

• Drilling contractor may cut 2,000 jobs - By Jennifer Hiller, FuelFix, January 30, 2015
• Economist: A short-term ‘bloodbath’ in oil and gas; More layoffs - By Jennifer Hiller, Collin Eaton and Ryan Holeywel, FuelFix, February 2, 2015
• More oil jobs threatened as cheap crude persists - By Ryan Holeywell, FuelFix, February 2, 2015
• Oil rig count falls by 94 in biggest drop since 1987 - By Collin Eaton, FuelFix, January 30, 2015
• Russian pipe maker OAO TMK laying off at Pennsylvania plants - Associated Press, FuelFix, February 2, 2015

Green Jobs and Just Transition:

• Greenwire: Groups pressure Congress to invest in passenger rail, transit infrastructure - Environmental Law & Policy Center, January 30, 2015 [related] Report: Long-term Federal Funding Needed in Passenger and Transit Rail Projects - By Anika Reed and Jasmine Whittington, Capital News Service, January 30, 2015
• MACED statement on announcement of President Obama’s proposed budget plan to aid Central Appalachian communities - By Ivy Brashear, Renew Appalachia, February 2, 2015
• New Report Showcases America’s Rail, Transit Manufacturing Opportunity - By the Blue-Green Alliance, Mass Transit Magazine, February 1, 2015

Other News of Interest:

• Crossing the River of Fire: The liberal attack on Naomi Klein and ‘This Changes Everything’ - By John Bellamy Foster and Brett Clark, Monthly Review, February 2015
• EPA should strengthen the standards for clean air - By Heather Albright, Sacramento Bee, January 31, 2015
• In an Age of Soulless Mass Production, the Artisan Craft Worker Still Lives On - By W. Rand Smith, In These Times, February 2, 2015
• Nuclear power plant’s security changes mixed one year after ‘unusual’ death - By Joe Jordan, Nebraska Watchdog, February 2, 2015
• Review: Another Politics by Chris Dixon - By Alexander Reid Ross, Earth First! Newswire, February 1, 2015
• UWAC: More than 5500 trees uprooted in one month! - La Via Campesina, February 2, 2015

For more green news, please visit our news feeds section on ecology.iww.org; Twitter #IWWEUC