TEXAS CITY, Texas – This week, 70 skilled workers represented by the Texas City Metal Trades Council are in week two of their Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike at Ashland Specialty Chemicals in Texas City, Texas.
“We’re not out here because we couldn’t agree on a number. We’re out here because the company broke faith with their workforce and broke the law at the bargaining table, and we filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board to prove it,” said Lewis Crawford, IUOE Local 564 Business Agent and lead negotiator for the Texas City Metal Trades Council, AFL-CIO, at the Thursday press conference. “Do the right thing by the people who built this plant. Come back to the table. Bargain in good faith. Do the honorable thing. Do that and you will find a workforce ready to meet you. They’re ready to build a contract that is fair and above all, safe.”
“We don’t strike for money — we strike for benefits. We strike to make sure everybody here has their family taken care of, they can go home and be safe and happy and live a normal life,” said Tom Henderson, IUOE Local 564 member and process operator at Ashland Specialty Chemicals. “That’s all we want. We’re just looking for that. Nothing extreme.”
“Use the skilled labor you have,” said Shane Smith, IAM District 776 member and 20-year Ashland Specialty Chemicals employee. “Use our knowledge, our years of experience out there, working, trying to make things better for the company and for our fellow employees.”
The Texas City Metal Trades Council is made up of workers from four different unions, including International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 564, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 527, United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry (UA) Local 211, and International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 776.
Members voted to reject the company’s contract and authorize this ULP strike because of safety concerns. According to the union, Ashland Specialty Chemicals is forcing employees to perform work outside their craft, creating serious safety risks for members and the surrounding community. The company is also proposing slashing the paid sick time members earned over decades of bargaining and outsourcing the storeroom to eliminate union jobs.
The Council began negotiating in good faith with the company on Jun. 1, 2026. Ashland Specialty Chemicals committed multiple Unfair Labor Practices during negotiations, and charges were filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB): Cases 16-CA-389483 and 16-CA-389474. The Council’s ULP strike officially began at 6:30pm on Wednesday, Jun. 24, when the workers’ contract expired.
Workers are on the picket line from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. every day in front of Ashland Specialty Chemicals at Attwater Ave & Hwy 146, Texas City. The staging area is set up at Moses Lake RV & Storage, 3902 HWY 146, Texas City.
