clarinews@clarinet.com (TERRY BOTE) (02/01/90)
DENVER (UPI) -- The union representing more than 40,000 oil workers across the country said Wednesday it would let the deadline for a national strike pass, but walkouts against individual oil companies were possible. Contracts between the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union and most major oil companies were to expire at midnight Wednesday. But the OCAW vice president, Bob Wages, said those contracts would be renewed on a 24-hour basis while negotiations continue. ``We are somewhat encouraged by developments of (Tuesday),'' Wages said. ``At least we are beginning to have substantive discussions on some of those remaining issues. ``Therefore, we will not be calling a national strike at midnight tonight. But we may be giving strike notice to certain companies where we are having particular problems.'' Wages said walkouts against individual companies could begin as early as Thursday. He said possible targets include Amoco, Texaco, Chevron, Mobil, Shell, Atlantic-Richfield, and Unical. Wages said any possible strikes would likely have the most effect on refineries in the Houston-Beaumont-Port Arthur area of Texas or on the West Coast, ``where we have the greatest concentration of our workers.'' The OCAW's National Oil Bargaining Policy Committee Tuesday rejected an offer made by Amoco and several other oil companies, Wages said. The two-year proposal included wage increases of 4 percent in 1990 and 1991, and additional contributions to health care premiums. ``That offer was rejected by the policy committee for the same reason that previous offers were turned down,'' Wages said. ``On those issues that were addressed, mainly a wage increase and an increase in hospital/medical premiums for the next two years, the offer didn't come up to our expectations or our requirements. ``And the offer failed to address a number of key items that we are still engaged in bargaining with the industry,'' he added. Wages said those critical issues include union monitoring of the environment, union and industry cooperation in working for a national health care program, and job security and safety. The OCAW wants to add to the bargaining unit an employee whose sole responsibility will be monitoring the environment for toxic releases, air quality and water quality, Wages said. ``That issue is on the table because it's the beckoning issue of the 1990s,'' Wages said. ``We happen to think this industry is not credible in the environmental area. It's track record is abysmal.'' He said workers need to take part of the responsibility of ensuring environmental quality. ``This industry hasn't been credible with its communities,'' he said. ``We think union folks undertaking the monitoring of the environment within the plant and outside the plant offers some degree of independence to the process of environmental quality.'' Wages said he was encouraged because there has been some recent movement on these issues in the bargaining talks. ``(The industry) has started talking about these other issues in some depth, so at least there's some reason to believe that perhaps we can avert a major confrontation with the industry.'' The oil contracts which are expiring were signed two years ago. Oil bargaining frequently has led to local strike actions, and national strikes were called by the union in 1969 and 1980.