Workers at an Ohio plant are on strike after INEOS, one of the world’s largest chemical companies, has pushed sweeping cuts.
Few things are more important to small communities than safe, steady jobs. In Ashtabula, plants like ours don’t just provide a paycheck — they help families build a life, raise children, and support local businesses. The work we do at the INEOS facility plays a direct role in keeping this community strong and the nation running.
We are proud members of Teamsters Local 377 and the International Chemical Workers Union Council (ICWUC) Local 1033C. For years, workers at this plant had a level of stability we could count on. Today, we are on strike because the company is demanding a contract that would take us backward.
Between the two of us, we have more than 50 years in this plant — 30 years in maintenance and 24 years in production. For most of our time working here, there was a level of stability we could count on.
That all changed when INEOS took over the facility in 2019.
Within weeks, the company stopped funding our pensions. Soon after, they replaced our health insurance with a plan that tripled premiums. They’ve reduced staffing, cut back on maintenance, and pushed more work onto fewer people. Where there were once 39 mechanics, there are now 27.
In production, we’ve lost relief operators and the workers who made it possible to take weekends off or even schedule a doctor’s appointment. Workers are being forced into 12-hour rotating shifts, sometimes for weeks at a time. One of us worked 24 straight 12-hour shifts.
Instead of addressing these problems, the company is demanding more concessions. Over the years, we’ve given up sick time, dropping from 21 days to 10. Now the company wants to cut that to just two days and ultimately eliminate excused sick leave altogether.
Under their proposal, workers would be penalized for every day they are out, even when they’re sick. That’s not a solution. It’s a policy that puts pressure on workers to come in when they shouldn’t, creating serious safety risks in an already demanding environment.
We have been on strike since April 10, and instead of working toward a fair agreement, the company has doubled down by bringing in replacement workers to cross the picket line.
Those replacements don’t have the same experience in this facility. In a chemical plant, that matters.
We’ve already seen the consequences. A recent leak created a thick chemical cloud that lingered over part of the facility. The alarm wasn’t sounded right away, and the situation could have been much worse.
There’s a daycare down the street from this plant. That day, the wind carried the cloud away from it. But if conditions had been different, that daycare — and the surrounding community — could have faced serious health risks.
Throughout this strike, we’ve seen strong support from our community: people honking, stopping by, and standing with us on the picket line. That support matters because our neighbors understand what’s at stake.
We do not want to be on strike. We want to work. We want stability. We want to continue doing our jobs safely and supporting our families, just as we have for decades.
Communities like ours believe in fairness and in working things out. If the company truly values this workforce, it’s time to come back to the table and negotiate a fair agreement.
By refusing to do so, INEOS is turning its back on the workers who have dedicated their lives to this plant — and on a community that depends on it running safely.
