Marathon, Teamsters to resume contract talks as Detroit refinery strike enters second month
Marathon Petroleum Corp. and the Teamsters union, which represents hundreds of refinery workers, will resume labor contract negotiations this week as a strike at the refiner's Detroit facility enters a second month.
A new round of contract negotiations between Marathon and the union is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 7, said Steve Hicks, President of Teamsters Local 283, following weeks of a standstill.
The local represents 273 workers at the Detroit refinery, 95% of whom authorized the strike.
More than 200 Teamsters at Marathon's Detroit refinery called for the strike on Sept. 4 after months of pay- and safety-related negotiations and mediations with the refiner yielded no results.
The prior contract expired in January 2024.
"We remain committed to stay out here as long as it takes Marathon to make a fair offer," a union member told Reuters. "We are coming to realize the company does not really respect or appreciate the work we do safely on a daily basis that helps this company make billions of dollars each year."
Marathon representatives and the Teamsters had several negotiating sessions under a federal mediator since workers walked off the job in September.
"The company and the union have engaged in collective bargaining since Dec 4, 2023, and Marathon has negotiated in good faith throughout the bargaining process," a Marathon spokesperson said.
Marathon began planned turnaround activities at the Detroit refinery in early September.
The refiner brought in workers from outside Detroit to replace the workers on strike, something union representatives criticized as jeopardizing safety.
"The Marathon employees currently running the refinery and supporting our turnaround have a combined average of more than 15 years of experience, which exceeds the average experience of the employees currently on strike," a Marathon spokesperson said, adding the Detroit refinery’s trained emergency response teams continue to be staffed and equipped to address any issues.
The 140,000-bpd Detroit refinery is one of Marathon's 13 refineries with approximately 2.9 MMbpd of crude oil refining capacity.
Marathon is set to report its third-quarter earnings on Tuesday.
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