A union organization campaign is underway among ConocoPhillips workers on the North Slope.
If it’s successful, the United Steelworkers would represent 243 electricians, mechanics and others at three fields — Alpine, Kuparuk and Willow.
ConocoPhillips announced it was laying off up to a quarter of its global workforce this fall.
United Steelworkers western states director, Gaylan Prescott, said a union can protect workers if the company announces future reductions.
“We're pretty proactive in working with employers to prevent the layoffs altogether," he said. "And then, if there are some, you try to apply a methodology that makes sense, so that there isn't favoritism being deployed as part of the analysis.”
United Steelworkers already represents about 300 Hilcorp workers on the North Slope. Prescott said he believes this would be the first for Conoco workers in Alaska.
The geography is challenging for union organizers. The Arctic job sites are isolated and the workers live all over Alaska and the Lower 48. But Prescott sees the schedule — typically two weeks on and two off — as beneficial for an organizing campaign.
“It's a more cohesive group of folks," he said. "They really lean on each other. More so than folks who work eight hours a day together.”
ConocoPhillips launched a website portraying union representation and the United Steelworkers in a bad light.
"We believe that we can best meet the needs of our employees through a direct relationship, as it allows us to quickly and efficiently collaborate with and gather feedback from our employees and provides for a workplace where everyone feels supported, heard, and valued," ConocoPhillips Director of Media Relations Dennis Nuss said by email.
No date has been set for the election yet.
