Baseball fields near Tesoro refineries close down

NORTH CONCORD, Calif. (KGO) -- The situation at Tesoro is affecting more than gas prices. It turns out several baseball fields close to the refinery are shut down.

The refinery leases these fields to several different leagues for $1 a year. It's a great arrangement, except now with the strike moving into its fourth week, there are hundreds of kids locked out.

By this time of year, these fields should be bustling with kids getting into the swing of things for the Spring season.

But instead, the gates are locked up tight and the kids locked out, a move Tesoro claims is a necessary safety measure due to 400 striking refinery workers.

"We just want to be able to use our fields," Junior Optimistic Baseball League President of Patty Behmlander said.

The league has 600 players on 48 teams that can't use their home fields.

They've had to find other city and school facilities for practices that normally occur three times a week.

"I'm used to using 15 fields, so what I was able to do with the bulk of the kids is one day a week, that doesn't include my little guys, which I have 15 little teams. I had to tell them go find grass," Behmlander said.

A Tesoro spokesman released a statement saying, the potential strike was discussed with league officials in January and "the league representatives agreed that all activities should be suspended in the interest of the safety of the players, parents, spectators, employees and picketers."

But JOBL is the biggest tenant here and the president says they were not consulted.

"They didn't include us. I found out on February 2," Behmlander said.

In the meantime, there are no pickets at the main gates to the baseball fields.

"We're not trying to stop little kids from playing baseball, at all. We're only striking for us," Scott Stanford said.

"We wouldn't block them, not if they're playing baseball, soccer maybe, but not baseball," Sten Nabhi said.

There is a soccer field here, but it's also closed.

Tesoro says all will reopen, but only after the refinery companies and united steelworkers settle their differences.