Motorists in Oregon are expressing excitement and confusion after a 72-year ban on self-serve gasoline pumps was lifted on Friday.

Across the Beaver State, drivers took to social media to boast of pumping their own gas, while local new outlets published step-by-step instructions to help bewildered first-timers. 

The change came after Governor Tina Kotek signed a bill allowing people across the state to choose between having an attendant pump gas or doing it themselves. The law took immediate effect.

That leaves New Jersey as the only US state that prohibits motorists from pumping their own gas. A few countries also ban it, including South Africa, where attendants offer to check fluid levels and clean the windshield, and expect to be tipped.

‘Today was day one where we were allowed to pump our own gas, I was super excited to go and do this myself,’ said TikTok user @pnw.bethany in a video on Friday.

However, she was disappointed to discover that she had accidentally pulled into a ‘full service’ lane at the gas station, where attendants still do the pumping, and vowed to return to the ‘self-service’ lane for the next fill-up. 

Oregon resident Patrick Coffin fills up his car with gasoline at a gas station in Portland on Friday, after the state lifted a 72-year ban on self-service pumps

A TikTok user expressed excitement over the change, but was disappointed to discover she had accidentally pulled into a ‘full service’ lane where attendants still man the pumps

Oregon residents were divided on the change, with some expressing support, and others skepticism. 

‘It’s about time. It’s long overdue,’ said Karen Cooper, who lives in Salem, said shortly before the bill was signed.

‘I’ve spent a lot of time in California,’ Cooper said. ‘I know how to pump my own. Everybody should know how to pump their own gas.’

Kacy Willson, 32, who has lived in Oregon her whole life, said she doesn’t have much interest in pumping her own gas. She’s only tried it a few times in her life.

‘It’s kind of nice to have someone do that,’ she said at a Portland gas station Friday. ‘I don´t really leave Oregon very much, and when I do, I have to ask someone how to pump gas, and I feel weird.’

When Oregon prohibited self-service in 1951, lawmakers cited safety concerns, including motorists slipping on the slick surfaces at filling stations subject to Oregon’s notoriously rainy weather. 

In recent years legislators relaxed the rule and allowed rural counties to have self-serve gas available at night. 

Then they extended it to all hours in eastern Oregon’s sparsely populated areas, where motorists low on gas could be stranded when there’s no attendant on duty.

The COVID-19 pandemic labor shortage helped drive a renewed push to allow self-serve across the state.

‘We live in a small town in a large county and can´t find employees to pump fuel,’ Steve Rodgers, whose community is at the base of the snow-capped Cascade Mountains, complained to lawmakers. ‘We are paying top dollar and also offering insurance, paid time off and retirement benefits, and still cannot fully staff.’

A gas station attendant shows a driver how to fill up her tank at a gas station in Portland, after Gov. Tina Kotek signed a bill allowing people across the state to pump their own gas

Motorists in Oregon are expressing excitement and confusion after a 72-year ban on self-serve gas stations was lifted on Friday

Local new outlets published step-by-step instructions to help bewildered first-timers

Haseeb Shojai, who immigrated from Afghanistan in 2004 and owns gas stations in central Oregon’s high desert, also lamented the labor shortage and described how wildfires, with increased intensity and frequency due to climate change, are having a major effect. 

The state fire marshal lifted the self-serve ban during dangerous heat waves the past couple of summers.

‘Wildfires have been a factor in operating our business in the summer months, when it is hard for our gas attendants to stay for long periods outside in smoke and in heat,’ Shojai said. ‘We don’t know if we can stay open tomorrow or the next day or even next week due to the labor shortage.’

A union representing workers at grocery store fuel stations in Oregon predicted job losses and called the new law a ‘blatant cash grab for large corporations.’

‘With over 2,000 gas stations in Oregon, laying off just one employee per location represents millions of dollars a year that giant corporations are not paying in wages, benefits and public payroll taxes,’ said Sandy Humphrey, the secretary-treasurer of UFCW Local 555.

Under the new law, there can’t be more self-service pumps at a gas station than full-service ones. And prices for motorists must be the same at both types.

Gas prices in Oregon averaged $4.66 on Saturday, according to AAA, and the state has the fifth-highest gas prices among the US states.

Some residents grumbled that there would be no discount for self-service gas, questioning why they should want to pump gas themselves without a break on prices.

‘It’s bad enough we are expected to check out our own groceries now in most stores, but now gas too. We keep getting jobs we aren’t getting paid for and never applied for,’ resident Micky Garus wrote in a Facebook post. 

People shared their views on the change on social media, as well as jokes referencing the ‘gas fight’ scene from Zoolander, seen above

A man pumps his own gas Friday in Eugene. Oregon drivers can now pump their own gas for the first time since the 1950s

A customer fills up on Friday in Portland. Under the new law, there can’t be more self-service pumps at a gas station than full-service ones

Some residents grumbled that there would be no discount for self-service gas, questioning why they should want to pump gas themselves without a break on prices

Other opponents of the measure worry that it could lead to the demise of full-service pumps, depriving older adults and people with disabilities of that option.

‘I have some real concerns that we are progressively getting closer and closer to eliminating Oregon’s fuel service law entirely,’ Democratic state Sen. Lew Frederick said on the Senate floor in June before voting against the bill.

Brandon Venable, a service station manager, had urged lawmakers to reject the bill, saying some customers are careless and that attendants keep people safe.

‘I deal with many dangerous situations daily created by people smoking, leaving their engines running, getting in and out of their vehicles creating static electricity, trying to fill up random bottles and jugs, and driving off with the pump still in the vehicle,’ Venable said.

Others wonder if motorists who are now clamoring to pump their own gas might be less keen on doing so when they have to stand out in the rain, cold and snow instead of remaining in their warm, dry cars.

Republican state Sen. Tim Knopp, who leads the minority GOP caucus, downplayed safety concerns as he described being allowed to pump his own gas because he belongs to a commercial fueling cooperative.

‘I have yet to light myself on fire. I have yet to cause any problems whatsoever as it relates to self-serve gas,’ Knopp said during debate on the bill. ‘So, colleagues, let´s make New Jersey the only state in the country that has a law against self-serve gas.’

The state Senate then approved the bill on a 16-9 vote. The House earlier passed it 47-10.

New Jersey’s 1949 ban on self-service pumps remains a source of pride for some in a state where bumper stickers declare ‘Jersey Girls Don’t Pump Gas.’

Since New Jersey has lower gas prices than New York and Pennsylvania, many drivers from neighboring states cross the state line to fuel up.

In 2015, lawmakers proposed ending the New Jersey ban, but the measure died because of opposition from the powerful state Senate president.

Source link

The post Oregon ends ban on self-service gas pumps after 72 years: Confused motorists turn to ‘how-to’ guides and station attendants’ union slams the change as ‘blatant cash grab’ appeared first on Minds Valley.

Summary

• Flight attendants at American Airlines are voting on whether their union should call a strike, as they have been pushing for better pay and schedules for over four years without a raise.
• The strike vote would only indicate that union members support the possibility of a strike if negotiations stall, and there are legal measures that need to be taken before a strike can occur.
• Passengers will not be directly affected by the strike vote or pickets, as only workers not scheduled for a shift can participate in picketing activities.

SIMPLEFLYING VIDEO OF THE DAY

SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT

Flight attendants at American Airlines began voting on Friday to decide whether their union should call a strike. The development comes after the inflight workers reportedly asked to authorize the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) to call a strike last week.

The Fort Worth-based airline’s flight attendants have been pushing for better pay and schedules. Negotiations began over four years ago without pay being raised for the duration.

“An undue burden”

Flight attendants will have about a month to vote for strike authorization. According to the APFA, voting began on Friday at 10:00 CT and will close on August 29th at 23:59 CT. In a negotiations update to union members, APFA National President Julie Hedrick spoke about the importance of a strike, considering American’s flight attendants have been understaffed since the pandemic.

“American Airlines flight attendants have worked through the toughest time in history, risking our lives working through a pandemic, and being assaulted by passengers, all while not receiving a raise since January of 2019. At the same time, management took advantage of the pandemic and severely cut staffing. Forcing flight attendants to work understaffed places an undue burden on us and our passengers.”

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

Following the vote, the union, representing more than 24,000 flight attendants, will plan for more pickets across the country at American’s hubs. Last April, nine informational pickets took place nationwide and marked the third time since November that flight attendants have protested.

What happens next

A strike would not be impending or confirmed should the vote pass next month, according to NBC DFW. It would only assert that union members would be in favor of the APFA calling a strike if the negotiations take a pause.

In March, the union filed for federal mediation with the National Mediation Board to advance talks of a new contract and ultimately meet an agreement. The Board runs the 1926 Railway Labor Act, which was expanded to airlines in 1936 and was enacted to avoid severe disruptions to the industry, according to NBC DFW. For a strike to occur, several additional legal measures would need to take place due to the law.

Photo: GagliardiPhotography/Shutterstock

As a result of the act, flight attendants are not allowed to protest by refusing to perform work duties or coordinating to call in sick. On July 23rd, the APFA warned its members of the “illegal self-help tactics,” as it could put their jobs at risk and result in the union being fined.

“Under the Railway Labor Act, we cannot engage in “self-help” until the National Mediation Board releases us following a thirty-day cooling-off period,” the union explained. “The National Mediation Board has discretion over whether to grant a release to strike.”

Passengers flying with American will be unaffected by the strike vote itself and the pickets at the airline’s hubs. According to NBC DFW, union rules only permit workers not scheduled for a shift to participate in any picketing activity.

“Fired up and ready”

During the April protests at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, flight attendants called on American’s CEO, Robert Isom, to raise their wages after the carrier reported a profit of more than $800 million.

“We have a path to reach an agreement that involves sending a clear message to the Company that 25,000 Flight Attendants are fired up and ready for a contract,” the APFA concluded. “The threat of a strike, combined with increasing public pressure and the unity of the Flight Attendants, is a proven formula for reaching an agreement.”

Simple Flying contacted American for comment on Friday. A representative could not be immediately reached.

Sources: Association of Professional Flight Attendants, NBC DFW

Source link

The post American Airlines Flight Attendants Begin Voting For Union Strike Authorization appeared first on Minds Valley.