Delta Western workers protest the firing of a coworker, Mo Reyes (center, in camouflage jacket), outside their Unalaska terminal Thursday. (Annie Ropeik/KUCB)

Six months ago, Delta Western fuel workers in Unalaska voted to unionize. On Thursday morning, eight of them hit the picket line again -- over managers they say are trying to sidestep union rules. KUCB's Annie Ropeik reports.

Striking workers: "Bring back Mo! Bring back Mo!"

Employee Mo Reyes was fired Monday for breaking Delta Western safety rules. He vacuumed out fueling equipment, which managers said could have caused an explosion under the wrong circumstances.

Reyes says his bosses were never that strict before:

"Now I join the union, so a little thing... you know, they watch me," he says.

On top of that, some workers say they’ve been shuffled between new positions outside the collective bargaining process -- sometimes to their detriment, if they’re in the Inlandboatmen’s Union.

Adam Dalton is a labor organizer who’s been posted in Unalaska for most of the year. He says Delta Western knew their employees weren’t happy:

"We’ve been in contact with them over the other issues," he says. "This issue about the termination has been kind of last-minute."

Still, the strike came as a surprise to Delta Western. President Kirk Payne says they were planning to work through these issues with the union.

"So we’re going to do it [Friday]," he says. "As part of our normal bargaining, over the collective bargaining agreement."

Every month, Delta Western sends a negotiator to Unalaska to meet with labor representatives and hammer out a long-term contract.

"I thought things were going just fine," Payne says. "And again, I think they will. I think they’ll get right back on track very soon."

But the employees who went on strike Thursday vowed to stay there until Mo Reyes gets his job back.

Delta Western’s operations weren’t affected by the walkout. Right now, there are no plans to hire extra workers as stand-ins.