Please help draw the line on wealthy corporations that risk our health and safety to squeeze even more profit.
Phillips 66 (formerly ConocoPhillips) is cutting firefighting personnel, training, and equipment that protect against the risk of fire and explosion at their massive Bayway refinery in Linden, NJ.
Phillips 66 had fourth-quarter profits from refining and marketing of $1 billion – five times higher than the previous year. It increased by 25% the dividends it pays to shareholders like Warren Buffett (the second richest man in the United States).
The refinery is right in the middle of a highly populated metropolitan area with airports, ports, and low income residential areas. You’ve no doubt been inside the refinery boundaries, since the NJ Turnpike runs through it.
The refinery produces petroleum products like gasoline that are extremely flammable. Effective fire protection is essential for both workers and surrounding neighborhoods.
TAKE ACTION
Please sign and circulate the petition developed by Teamsters Local 877, which represents the Phillips 66 workers.
BACKGROUND
Phillips 66 executives are cutting the Fire Department at Bayway Refinery by 40%, eliminating firefighting training for the rescue squad, eliminating key personnel who keep the refinery running safely, refusing to repair bridges needed for firefighter access, and more.
These are the types of cuts that start refineries down the road to disaster. In a recent two-year period, there were at least 80 fires at 59 U.S. refineries. Last August, more than 14,600 people went to the hospital after a massive refinery fire in Richmond, California. U.S. refineries sustain losses from accidents at four times the rate of their counterparts in other countries, in part because of “pushing the operating envelope” and flaws in safety.
Meanwhile, Phillips 66 is “awash in cash” (according to Bloomberg News), as the difference between what refiners pay for crude oil and then charge for refined fuel has doubled in the past year and is the highest since 2005. Phillips 66 CEO, Greg Garland, makes more than $6 million per year – or nearly $3,000 an hour.
