Sunoco workers protest cutbacks

As Sunday's expiration of their contract with Sunoco Inc. nears, workers at the company's Philadelphia and Marcus Hook refineries today stepped up efforts to protest staffing cutbacks they say will endanger workers and nearby neighborhoods.

Several hundred refinery workers rallied outside Philadelphia's City Hall, then marched to Sunoco's headquarters. Union officials said they presented petitions against the cutbacks signed by about 2,000 people who live near the refineries.

Jim Savage, president of the United Steelworkers local that represents nearly 700 workers at the South Philadelphia refinery, said the company's offer called for a 25 percent reduction in processor operators, which the union said would increase risks.

"We work with volatile products. When things go wrong at a refinery, bad things happen. We're not making ice cream," Savage said. "In an emergency situation . . . the operators' response is the most critical factor in preventing catastrophes."

Sunoco spokesman Thomas Golembeski said the company was confident that the proposed cutbacks would not increase risks. "We don't compromise on safety," he said.

Golembeski said that, since 2002, when the current staffing levels were set, "we have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade and improve the safety, environmental performance, and efficiency of our refineries at Philadelphia and Marcus Hook."

"As a result of those investments as well as our collaboration with the union, we've reduced the rate of recordable injuries by more than 50 percent," Golembeski said.

Savage said refineries present a continual risk of accidents, such as an explosion two weeks ago at the Philadelphia facility. Golembeski, who called the incident a "flash fire," said the two employees it injured were released from the hospital a day later.