I’m happy to announce Mike Smith as the new chair of the union’s National Oil Bargaining Program, which includes more than 30,000 of our brothers and sisters at 220 individual sites across the United States. Mike is taking over for Kim Nibarger as he steps down to enjoy a hard-earned retirement.
Mike worked as an operator in the hydroprocessing unit at the Chevron Refinery in Richmond, Calif., where he was a proud member of Local 5. Like Kim, he was dedicated to safety and served in multiple roles with the local’s health and safety committee.
In 2012, he began working with the local full time as a rep, assigned to the Chevron group to assist with grievances, bargaining, and political work. He also sat on the Cal/OSHA committee before coming to Pittsburgh in the summer of 2018 to work with Kim on oil bargaining.
Kim’s own commitment to safety began during his time as a chief operator for Shell Oil Products at its Puget Sound refinery in Anacortes, Wash. He served as a member and co-chair of the Joint Health and Safety Committee in Anacortes for eight years, and in that time, he was the union member on a team that investigated a deadly fire at the refinery.
We are grateful for all of Kim’s ardent activism and commitment to safety throughout his career and wish him all the best. We know our oil workers will be in good hands, and we look forward to all of what Mike will bring to the union’s work in the sector.
In solidarity,
Tom