Coworker Discussion- “If we go Union, they will sell us.”

Yep, they might.  But I’d bet a paycheck that Kuparuk will be on the auction block regardless of a union status by 2029.  The asset is over 40 years old, when it was designed the engineering criteria was “30 year life”.  If you don’t believe me go dig up old Sterns Catalytic engineering drawings.  The field is well past its prime and running with equipment that’s tired as hell. How long will ConocoPhillips want to hold a liability? Probably the only reason they didn’t sell Kuparuk already is because they wanted a staging ground for all the Willow stuff.   So might they sell us?  You’re damn right they might, but that’s where successorship clauses come in.  We touched on that in this post.  The bottom line is we’re much, much better off with a union and a CBA in place WHEN we get sold than if we don’t have one.  

Also, someone sent in a question about what happens if we get sold before our CBA is in place, this is what the USW guys had to say about that- 

Under the successorship doctrine established by the NLRB, the new owner generally must:

1. Recognize the union - If the new employer retains a majority of the previous workforce in substantially the same jobs, they inherit the duty to recognize and bargain with your union.

2. Continue bargaining obligations - The new employer must bargain in good faith with the union, picking up where negotiations left off (or starting them if they hadn’t begun).

-However, the new employer is NOT automatically bound by:

1. Any already bargained CBA terms (since you don’t have one yet)

2. Promises made by the previous employer during negotiations.

-But, the new employer cannot:

1. Unilaterally change terms and conditions of employment without first bargaining with the union

2. Refuse to recognize the union just because of the ownership change

3. Make changes specifically to undermine the union

So…

1. Your union certification would remain valid

2. The new employer must bargain with you and your union

3. But you’re essentially starting negotiations with a new party who may have different positions

4. The new employer can propose different terms than the old one, but must negotiate rather than impose changes

Sell us, don't sell us- IDGAF, I used to be proud to have their logo on my bibs, now its like a tattoo of an ex-GF you wish you'd never met.