Toledo Refinery
Sunoco, Inc.
Mr. James Keeler
P.O. Box 1014
Toledo, OH 43697
March 2, 2010
Dear Mr. Keeler
As members of the community throughout Northwest Ohio, it is
with a great deal of sadness we write this letter. Sunoco
has a deep history with Toledo; circa, all the way back to
1895. We have partnered in many ways over the years to make
our community a strong and vibrant one. As a community we
have stood side-by-side with Sunoco during both prosperous
and challenging times. Now it appears you are willing to
turn your back on us for short-term economic gain during an
extremely difficult period for our community and its citizen
workers.
Sunoco's decision to use an out-of-state contractor to
perform shutdown work at the Toledo Refinery jeopardizes
that trust and partnership. This contractor plans to use an
out-of-state workforce whether it is only 50 jobs as you
claim, or 100 or more – either way we find this appalling.
Outsourcing jobs is killing our local economy, particularly
during a time of serious recession for all of Northwest
Ohio. It was recently announced that Toledo is the 8th
poorest city in the nation!
Many construction workers in the Toledo area, including
right here in East Toledo and Oregon, are suffering
unemployment at rates of more than 30%. These highly
skilled and trained local workers historically man your
shutdowns and perform routine maintenance and capital
improvement projects for the Sunoco Toledo Refinery. We
strongly support these workers because they are our
neighbors, friends and families.
On the surface it appears to us that this is all about
money. It is recognized by most people that refineries are
not the most popular neighbors in a community because of the
odors, noise, heavy traffic and dangerous processes involved
with refining oil. However, communities will put up with
these inconveniences because the trade off to the local
community is the benefit of employment opportunities as well
as tax revenue. We request that you reconsider this contract
award. We understand that you have a corporate
responsibility to your shareholders. On the other hand, we
are appealing to your social responsibility to make the
right decision on behalf of your refinery neighbors and this
community. We hope to hear from you soon.
Your Concerned Community,
