Families living around Tesoro’s refinery in Wilmington, CA attended a community forum on Friday, November 19th sponsored by the ILWU and other groups. Concerned residents came to the Banning Community Center at noon where they learned some history about dangerous incidents at Tesoro’s sprawling petrochemical operation. ILWU Local 13 Vice President Bobby Olvera , Jr. welcomed everyone to the meeting and introduced the special guest speakers.
Most residents at the meeting already knew that Tesoro had recently dumped over 1,000 gallons of hazardous flammable liquid at the refinery complex which is surrounded on several sides by residential neighborhoods. Neighbors expressed concern about the history of problems at the plant – and the hazards these incidents pose to families living nearby.
Background on how refineries operate and why safety is so important was provided by Dave Campbell, Secretary Treasurer of Steelworkers Union Local 675 which represents workers at Tesoro and other Southern California refineries.
Alicia Rivera, representing Communities for a Better Environment, emphasized the common concerns of residents and refinery workers when it comes to safety and environmental protection.
Another hot topic was Tesoro’s decision to dump dozens of skilled and experienced workers who belong to ILWU Local 13-A. These workers handled maintenance operations for a part of the plant known as the “coker unit.” This past May, Tesoro hired an out-of-state non-union contractor to do the “coker” work. The new contractor has refused to hire back most of the skilled workers.
Coke workers Javier Chavez, Miguel Ceja and David Magallanes did a good job explaining why it’s so important to have experienced skilled employees stationed at the coker unit. The materials inside are hazardous, the units operate at high temperatures and pressures, and units must be cleaned regularly by skilled crews to operate safely, they explained. Another worker, Steve Cannon, explained what happens to the coke residues from the refineries that are shipped overseas from nearby docks.
Growing concern from the community about Tesoro’s operation was demonstrated by the large pile of more than 6,000 petitions signed by local residents. The petitions call on Tesoro to re-hire the skilled and experienced workers so the plant can operate more safely.
In another sign of growing support, State Senator Allen Lowenthal and Los Angeles City Councilmember Janice Hahn both attended the meeting. They answered questions from concerned residents and pledged their support to see that Tesoro re-hires the skilled workers from the community.