Locked out ExxonMobil union workers at the Beaumont, Texas, facility have overwhelmingly voted to reject Exxon's latest six-year labor contract proposal amid ongoing renegotiations since May 1, 2021.
"In a tremendous show of solidarity, USW Local 13-243 members voted to reject ExxonMobil’s latest unreasonable, take-it-or-leave-it contract offer," said USW Communications Director Jess Kamm Broomell. "The union is once again calling on management to end the lockout immediately, stop breaking the law and negotiate in good faith for a fair contract in Beaumont."
In a previous online employee bulletin, ExxonMobil officials said that since the announcement of this ratification vote, the company has heard consistent false rumors which claim that ExxonMobil will end the lockout and return employees to work on November 1 regardless of the outcome of the ratification vote. The company said it found it important to address and dispel this rumor:
"As we have told the union, the conditions which would end the lockout remain the same: the company will end the lockout when we have a signed, ratified agreement. This has not changed, and anything said to the contrary is untrue. Additionally, if employees were to decertify, the company would return employees to work," said officials.
"Remember, the union asked us to address some things. We did that, and as we told the union, we then presented our best possible offer. If our offer is not ratified by November 1, it will be reduced as explained in the offer."
ExxonMobil officials continued in the bulletin explaining that the company kept its word, and then asked if the union is really trying to end this lockout. "The company very much hopes you vote to return to work."
Decertification is the process to remove a union from representing employees at a given location. The U.S. National Labor Relations Board is currently reviewing a petition signed by at least 30% of the locked-out workers that could lead to a vote to decertify USW Local 13-243 in Beaumont as their representative. No date for a vote has been set.
