Employee Information Bulletin #19 - March 17, 2026

Company Initiated Next Steps

To: All Whiting Employees

The purpose of this Employee Information Bulletin (EIB) is to provide an update on negotiations.

After the Company’s Last, Best and Final Offer (LBFO) expired on March 12 without ratification, we issued a revised offer on Friday, March 13. Following that offer, the Union requested to meet on Monday, March 16, to provide the Company with a counter proposal.  

On Monday, the Union cancelled the meeting and indicated they would meet with the Company today. In today’s meeting, the Union offered a slightly revised proposal, but once again unequivocally rejected the Company’s proposals that are critical to the long-term sustainability of the Refinery. The Company has been emphasizing the importance of these proposals since January 5.

After thoroughly reviewing the Union’s proposal, the Company reconvened with the Union this afternoon. In that meeting, the Company declined the Union’s proposal and provided a revised Company Comprehensive Proposal dated March 17.  

The Company also provided notice to the Union of the following changes:

• The Company provided notice to cancel the 24-hour rolling contract extension.
• The Company provided lockout notice to the Union, with the lockout becoming effective at 12:00 AM on Thursday, March 19.
• The Company also sought commitment from the Union to help facilitate a safe handover of operations.

Some of the details of the lockout effective date are below:

• Maintenance – USW represented employees should NOT report to the Refinery for work after Tuesday, March 17. Anyone scheduled to work on Wednesday, March 18, will be paid per that schedule.
• All other USW-represented employees who are scheduled to work on Tuesday, March 17, (in the evening) and on Wednesday, March 18, (all shifts), are to report as scheduled.

The decision to lockout was not made lightly. It was made after months of negotiations and great consideration. However, the union has not accepted the company’s contract proposals that are most critical to the long-term sustainability of the Refinery. In fact, the union has unequivocally rejected our Company proposals twice now without offering a counter that addresses any of the Company’s concerns.

In addition to the status of negotiations, we have been operating in a continued state of labor uncertainty since February 1, including facing the ongoing risk of a strike with 24-hours notice. It is vital that we control this timeline to allow a safe and orderly transfer of operations to our BCP team. Qualified bp employees will continue to operate the refinery safely and in compliance with regulatory requirements. We do not expect disruption to our operations or production.

While the parties will continue to bargain in good faith, in order to end the lockout, the USW must accept the March 17, 2026 proposal.