Phillips 66 Lockout Ends in Tentative Refinery Deal

Phillips 66 and locked-out union workers at New Jersey’s Bayway Refinery and Linden Terminal have reached a tentative agreement, leaving members to decide whether to ratify a deal after about 400 union employees had been locked out as of Oct. 20. The company kept the facility operating with engineers and supervisors during the dispute. The agreement is tentative; members begin voting Friday.

Workers Vote on the Deal

Teamsters Local 877 President Jeff Sanford acknowledged the agreement and said members would begin voting Friday. Their vote will determine whether the tentative agreement is ratified. Phillips 66 said it would provide more information if members approve it, making the company’s next public account conditional on a decision workers have yet to make.

Before the lockout, the union said it was seeking a better and safer contract. That demand places safety and contract terms at the center of the conflict, while the company’s statement emphasizes operations and customer needs. The workers’ vote comes after the lockout, not before it.

About 400 union employees had been locked out as of Oct. 20, following failed contract negotiations. The report of a tentative agreement came Oct. 29. The agreement marks a change in negotiations, but the available details don’t say what terms the two sides accepted, whether the lockout has ended, or what protections the contract would provide. Ratification remains pending.

The Facility Kept Running

Phillips 66 kept the refinery operating with engineers and supervisors during the lockout. That fact shows the split in leverage plainly: union employees were locked out while the company continued running the facility with other personnel. The account provides no further detail about staffing, operating conditions, or how the arrangement affected workers.

The Bayway Refinery processes gasoline and diesel fuel and supplies jet fuel to Newark Liberty International Airport. It is the largest refinery of its kind on the East Coast. Those details explain the facility’s importance to fuel supply, but the company’s stated focus on safe operations and customers doesn’t answer the union’s demand for a better and safer contract. Those are separate claims, and the terms remain undisclosed.

Picket Lines and Company Assurances

During the lockout, union members picketed and occasionally blocked trucks from entering the refinery. That was the workers’ direct action in the dispute: making their opposition visible at the facility and sometimes interrupting vehicle access. The account doesn’t report other community responses or mutual-aid efforts.

A Phillips 66 spokesperson said: “We can confirm that we have reached a tentative agreement with the union. We will have more information to share if that agreement is ratified by union members. Our focus right now, throughout this process and at all times is on maintaining safe and responsible operations and continuing to meet the needs of our customers.” The statement offers assurances about operations and customers, while leaving the contract details—and the union’s safety concerns—unaddressed.

No legislative or electoral solution appears in the account. The immediate decision rests with union members voting on ratification, after negotiations failed and a lockout put about 400 employees outside the workplace. The vote is the next stated step; the agreement’s contents remain unknown.