NEWS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE
OIL, CHEMICAL & ATOMIC WORKERS INT'L UNION, AFL-CIO
 
For Immediate Release: July 9, 1998
Contact: Lynne Baker, OCAW Communications Director,
           303-987-5334.
         Eric Scherzer, OCAW International
           Representative, 410-837-7906.

            LAKEWOOD, CO - The Oil, Chemical & Atomic Workers
       (OCAW) Union released the following:
       
            Crown Central Petroleum, a Baltimore-headquartered
       oil company, has once again come under fire from a
       national organization for its civil rights, labor and
       environmental practices.
       
            The National Board of the nation's largest civil
       rights organization, the National Association for the
       Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), has passed a
       resolution condemning Crown. "This resolution calls
       attention to Crown's discriminatory practices and
       supports the AFL-CIO campaign against the company," said
       Richard Womack, chair of the NAACP's Labor Committee.
       
            "We are deeply appreciative of the NAACP
       endorsement, which shows broadening support for our
       campaign and the continued isolation of Crown, which is
       dependent on its image to sell gasoline and convenience
       store products," said Robert E. Wages, OCAW International
       Union president.
       
            Outside of the labor movement, the NAACP is one of
       the largest member-organizations to date, which has
       thrown its support behind the OCAW and AFL-CIO campaign.
       OCAW is trying to end a 29-month lockout of Crown
       refinery workers in Pasadena, Texas.
       
            The NAACP resolution highlights Crown's alleged
       violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and its
       polluting of neighborhoods located near its Pasadena
       refinery.
       
            "Crown has created victims across the country, and
       prominent national groups continue to join this campaign
       to bring Crown to justice," said Wages.
       
            The resolution states that the NAACP "condemns the
       policies of Crown Central Petroleum, which continues a
       brutal lockout against members and families of OCAW Local
       4-227, continues to pollute the environment, and
       maintains workplaces which are not free of
       discrimination."
       
            Other prominent groups endorsing the campaign
       against Crown include the National Black Caucus of State
       Legislators, the Baltimore City Council, Coalition of
       Black Trade Unionists, Jewish Labor Committee, Sierra
       Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Natural Resources
       Defense Council, National Environmental Law Center, U.S.
       Public Interest Research Group, Interfaith Committee for
       Worker Justice, and the Atlantic States Legal Foundation.
       
            Crown is currently in deep crisis due to exposure of
       its unsavory practices, lawsuits for civil rights and
       environmental violations, and for careless purchases of
       crude oil. Crown's stock has plummeted 40 percent since
       March 1, 1998, and the company announced a $13 million
       loss in the first quarter. Losses are expected to
       continue throughout the year.
       
            Crown operates gas stations and convenience stores
       in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina,
       Georgia and Alabama.