Strike at Ashland Specialty Chemicals plant in Texas City enters second week

The strike at Ashland Specialty Chemicals’ plant in Texas City has entered a second week, extending a labor dispute centered on safety rules, sick leave and stalled bargaining.

About 70 workers represented by four unions walked off the job on June 24. When the Houston Chronicle reported the dispute on July 1, the strike was still ongoing.

How the dispute started

Negotiations between Ashland and the unions reportedly began on June 1, but the talks later broke down. The strike that followed has become the latest flashpoint in a labor conflict at the specialty chemicals plant on the Texas Gulf Coast.

The workers involved include machinists, operators, pipefitters and electricians. They are represented by the Texas City Metal Trades Council, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 564, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 527, United Association Local 211 and IAM District 776.

The unions say the dispute is not about wages. Instead, they argue that contract language is needed to protect workers from being assigned tasks outside their specialties, which they say raises safety concerns at a chemical facility.

Sick leave and seniority

Sick leave is the other major issue in the dispute. Union leaders say Ashland’s latest proposal would give all workers 48 hours of paid sick leave regardless of seniority, with longer absences handled through short-term disability.

Union representatives say the previous contract allowed senior workers to accrue more sick leave, with some eligible for as much as 15 weeks. That difference has become a central point of contention in the stalled talks.

Union leaders have also filed unfair labor practice complaints against Ashland, according to the reporting. The Beaumont Enterprise said the complaints were filed with the National Labor Relations Board under cases 16-CA-389483 and 16-CA-389474.

Company response

Ashland spokeswoman Carolmarie C. Brown said the company is committed to the safety, health and security of employees, families and communities. She said Ashland has taken steps to minimize disruption to customers.

Brown did not comment on the status of negotiations. That leaves the immediate path to a settlement unclear, even as the strike continues into its second week.

Union negotiator Lewis Crawford said the walkout is focused on safety, not wage increases. He also said it is the first strike at the plant in more than 30 years.

What happens next

The next developments to watch are whether the sides return to the bargaining table, whether the NLRB complaints advance and whether the dispute begins to affect production or deliveries beyond what the company has already acknowledged.

For now, the strike remains centered on two questions: whether the contract protects workers from unsafe assignments, and how sick leave should be structured for a workforce with seniority-based benefits.