Workers locked out at Bayway refinery as contract dispute sparks overnight picketing

Joe Sato, good morning. Good morning, Nick. I just want to say the protesters, or those who are locked out, the union members, I should say, are still outside the refinery. They're down by the intersection. They're down by the light. We passed them as we drove by. We went to the other side of the refinery as well. We didn't see anybody out there, but they're out here along this main stretch of 1 and 9. Now, to break down the details, Teamsters Local 877 President Jeff Sanford tells News 12 they've been locked out after an extension both sides agreed to expired on Monday at 4 p.m. That extension came after the contract between the Union and Phillips 66 Bayway Refinery ended October 1st. So dozens of members have been outside picketing ever since, carrying signs like locked out and pay up. Union members say they want to negotiate but are asking for a larger share of the company's profits as well as a change to its attendance policy and improvements to work schedules, adding at times some of its members will work 13 days straight. Many of our folks will work extended shifts 13 days on, 13 nights on, before a single day off. The members want their slice of the pie. You know, a lot of these signs are saying pay up. Sanford also brought up what he calls safety issues, saying union members are fire brigade team members as well, adding he hopes Phillips 66 can keep everything safe for the community while they're locked out. Phillips 66 officials saying in a statement that they plan to maintain safe operations at the Bayway Refinery and Linden Terminal with properly trained and qualified personnel to meet all customer requirements, adding they have supervisors, engineers, and technical experts with many years of experience working in refinery and terminal operations. The union saying it's up to the company to do the right thing and end this lockout as soon as possible. Union members telling us again they hope to be back at the negotiating and bargaining table today, this morning. We'll keep you posted as we get updates. That's the latest from Linden. Tony Caputo, News 12, New Jersey.