Sisters and Brothers,
On Tuesday, February 10th the company provided us with what it titled “Comprehensive Company Proposal”. A comprehensive proposal consolidates numerous unrelated proposals into a single agreement and is typically reserved for the end stages of bargaining as a way to clean the table. That proposal was 118 pages and included the disclaimer that “Unless otherwise stated, all prior Company proposals remain incorporated into this comprehensive package.” In other words, “go fish”. It should also be noted that the proposal did not include the withdrawal of ANY of the company’s controversial proposals.
This was the same day that we held our Informational Meeting, so we had little time to review the proposal and spent all of Wednesday, Thursday and most of Friday going over this 118 plus page proposal. We met with the company on the evening of Friday, February 13th and rejected their “Comprehensive Company Proposal”.
Saturday, February 14th was the day of the rally and we did not meet.
We met on Sunday, February 15th and the company passed us “Comprehensive Company Settlement Proposal #2” which was a 34-page proposal which contained the disclaimer that “Unless otherwise stated, all prior Company proposals from its Comprehensive Proposal of February 10th, 2026, remain incorporated into this comprehensive package.” In other words, the company proposals that were not included in their previous “Comprehensive Company Proposal” were still active… and that proposal stated that all other company proposals not included were still active. Therefore, they linked the 34-page proposal to the 118-page proposal and also linked those to their initial proposal package which was close to 200 pages long. It is clear that the company is engaging in strategic obfuscation. In other words, they’re intentionally muddying the waters so that we cannot clearly evaluate what’s being offered.
The Bargaining Committee spent Monday, February 16th and Tuesday, February 17th reviewing and mapping out the changes that the company had made.
On Wednesday, February 18th we met with the company and provided 28 pages of counter proposals to several of the components of the company’s proposals – targeting what the company had repeatedly indicated was the most important proposal – the re-classification of jobs and updated qualification/competency process.
Today, we met with the company, and they provided a 58-page proposal they titled “Updates to Comprehensive Company Settlement Proposal #2”. That’s right… Now we have this proposal, that “updates” the February 15th proposal on top of the February 10th proposal which includes any company proposals that were still active that were not directly referenced in the February 10th proposal.
This kind of deliberate obfuscation doesn’t just waste time - it increases the risk of a breakdown at the table. When proposals are layered, cross-referenced, and left intentionally unclear, it becomes harder to responsibly evaluate what members are being asked to accept. That uncertainty can push negotiations toward a work stoppage. In an oil refinery, a work stoppage doesn’t just affect refinery workers. Reduced production and supply disruptions can ripple outward into higher fuel costs for the public. Even more seriously, instability at a refinery, especially when decisions are rushed or communications are muddled, raises the stakes for operational safety. No one benefits from that outcome. That is why we are insisting on clear, good-faith bargaining.
While we continue to meet with the company and bargain in good faith in an effort to secure a fair contract, we need you to do two things at once: continue to prepare yourselves and your families for a possible work stoppage if the Company continues down this road and stay patient while we methodically work through the chaos they’ve created so we can bargain from strength and keep the membership fully informed before any major decisions are made.
In solidarity,
USW Local 7-1 Board of Directors
