Sunoco said it has begun negotiating with Local 10-901 ofthe United Steelworkers Union which represents employees atthe refinery to finalize severance

Sunoco said it has begun negotiating with Local 10-901 ofthe United Steelworkers Union, which represents employees atthe refinery, to finalize severance. The union said that the 40-50 employees are fromoperations, maintenance and the lab at the plant, and it islooking to move some of the workers to other sites given thatSunoco has two other refineries in the region (Reporting by Rebekah Kebede and Janet McGurty) Stocks. The complex was the site of a May 17 fire caused by a pipefailure. The root cause of that failure is still beinginvestigated, Golembeski said. Sources said that the closure of the ethylene plant was nota complete surprise given that after the fire there was nomoney put back into the fire-damaged section of the plant.

“Sunoco will permanently shut down production at theethylene complex due to insufficient demand for ethylene,ethylene oxide, and cyclohexane which does not justifyrepairing or replacing equipment damaged in the recent fire,”spokesman Thomas Golembeski said in a statement. (Adds quotes, comment from union) Stocks NEW YORK, July 6 (Reuters) – Sunoco Inc (SUN.N) said onMonday it will permanently shut the ethylene complex at its178,000-barrel-per-day Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, refinery dueto insufficient demand, resulting in the layoff of 40-50employees. Its data-driven approach is premised on thenotion that the public makes wise choices on social issues when high-qualityinformation is available.For more information, visit Palm CenterIndra Lusero of The Palm Center, +1-303-902-9402,. “Giventhe research showing that openly gay service works, as well as the politicalclimate and public support for repeal, I’d image the same might happen here.”The Palm Center is a research institute at the University of California, SantaBarbara.The Center uses rigorous social science to inform public discussionsof controversial social issues, enabling policy outcomes to be informed moreby evidence than by emotion.

NathanielFrank, senior research fellow at the Palm Center agreed.But he also saidthat discussions by Secretary Gates about how to relax enforcement may spellthe beginning of the end of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”"In Britain and Israel,modifying enforcement was followed by an end to their bans,” he said. “The Palm Centerwanted to describe the options that exist short of legislative repeal,” saidMazur, “but the operational effect of relaxing enforcement would be tinycompared to what will happen when the ban is actually lifted.” Dr. The memoexplains the legal authority and details several options for the DefenseSecretary in modifying its enforcement. These range from retaining all servicemembers targeted under “don’t ask, don’t tell” for a limited period of time inthe interests of national security, to requiring that any investigation of aservice member for homosexual conduct be conducted only with prior approval ofthe Defense Secretary.The legal memo also makes clear that any steps which “fall short of ceasingall discharges under ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ will have a negligibleoperational effect on gay and lesbian troops, and therefore on our nationalsecurity.” Diane Mazur, Professor of Law at the University of Florida LevinCollege of Law and a co-author of today’s legal memo, explains that theSecretary of Defense has many options, but that until all discharges arestopped, the quality of life for gay troops will suffer.