Refinery workers remain committed five months into lockout
REGINA — Curtis Baht hasn’t been sleeping much.
Since he and his 700 colleagues were locked out of the Co-op Refinery Complex (CRC) on Dec. 5, 2019, Baht has been struggling — struggling with how he can fill his days and struggling to find motivation.
Baht has worked at the refinery since June 1988.
“At the time I just needed a job,” he said. He tried signing up for the Canadian Armed Forces, having been in the reserves, but a bad eye kept him from joining regular forces.
After applying to a number jobs, the CRC got back to Baht first and they came with the best offer. All told, it took less than two weeks for him to be hired.
“It was right at the right time. They were hiring a bunch of young guys like me,” he said. Young guys including a high school classmate.
“He’s a manager now. We don’t speak,” said Baht.
His job at the refinery, and the people there, gave Baht purpose that he hasn’t felt in other aspects of his life. A father of three, Baht says his co-workers at the refinery are a family just the same.
”It disgusts me. I put my entire life into that place. That job was my life, as sad as that is to say,” he said. “I love getting up at five in the morning and going to work.”
In the past six weeks, since Local 594 took pickets off the line at the refinery due to concerns around COVID19, Baht has mainly stayed at home. With nowhere to go and nothing to do, he hasn’t filled his truck’s gas tank since February.
In that time, the global demand for oil has collapsed and oil markets have tanked. It’s part of why the company says it’s sticking to its guns at the bargaining table and why its “best and final” is still on the table, for now.
Lately, Baht has been trying to muster the drive to change out the winter tires on his truck.
“I’m kind of depressed, and miserable and run down,” he said. “I’m trying to break out of this — feeling like crap.”
Being a master operator was and is a big part of Baht’s identity.
“Being a shift worker I missed a lot of family stuff. I was the kind of guy who volunteered to work Christmas because they needed people,” said Baht.
Being out of work was OK when he and his fellow union members were on pickets across the city and around the refinery.
Now, Local 594 members have taken rallies in their cars.
When Paul Woit was driving home from such a rally at the Legislative building last Wednesday afternoon, he had two red Unifor flags flying in the back of his truck.
Woit said he was met with middle fingers, waves and honks.
“No one’s stuck in the middle,” he said.
Having been locked out for five months, Woit said he doesn’t think things will ever go back to normal at the refinery. In fact, his own mother, who — in her 80s — has always been a dyed-in-the-wool supporter of Co-op, has opted lately to fill up at Shell.
“She’s had both knees replaced. She needs a walker and she always went to Co-op because of the full service,” he said.
“That goes a long way in simply saying you’ve not only upset the workers; you’ve upset lifelong customers.”