25 Feb New Bill Would Extend Support for Displaced Oil and Gas Workers

Chevron Richmond refinery with San Pablo Bay in the background. (Photo by Bastique, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

By Ruth Dusseault
Bay City news

As California transitions away from fossil fuels, thousands of workers have either lost their jobs or are at risk of losing their jobs due to refinery closures. Legislation introduced in the California Assembly on Tuesday would make permanent a pilot program that provides retraining, educational grants and transition assistance to workers affected by oil and gas refinery closures.

The pilot program, the Displaced Oil and Gas Workers Fund, was created in 2022 and supports displaced workers. This original $36.5 million program is administered by the California Employment Development Department and aids those seeking to transition into new industries with comparable wages.

Assembly Bill 2157 would eliminate the program’s March 31, 2027, sunset date, making it a permanent part of state law.

Introduced by Assemblymember Damon Connolly, D-San Rafael, and Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, D-Los Angeles, the bill has the support of the United Steel Workers union. The legislation also directs the EDD to work with the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education to develop recommendations for transitioning the fund from a pilot program into a permanent statewide initiative.

“I worked as a process technician for the Phillips 66 refinery for over 20 years,” said Laurie Wallace, United Steelworkers 675 member. “Having a good, union job was life changing, allowing me to buy a home, start a family and secure my retirement. Last year, when I received a layoff notice along with 600 of my coworkers, the Displaced Oil and Gas Workers Fund program was a lifeline, allowing me to finish my associate degree and prepare my transition into a new field.”

In 2020 and 2021, the Marathon refinery closure in Martinez and the Phillips 66 refinery closure in Santa Maria displaced over 600 full-time workers and between 250 and 2,500 contract workers, according to a statement released by Connolly’s office on Tuesday. Additional closures are planned in Carson, Benicia and Wilmington with an expected impact on thousands more employees and contractors statewide.

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