Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. We have met with USW more than 60 times through formal and informal meetings and continue to meet through additional bargaining sessions.
The details of the current offer include:
- 6-year term of agreement
- $2,500 lump sum bonus following ratification, and additional lump sum payments of $5,000 - $7,500 for eligible employees
- Average wage increase of approximately 13%, or about $7 per hour, over four years
- Modernized job structures and enhanced training & upskilling
- Simplified and fairer rules for overtime, attendance, job bidding, paid leave, and other local working conditions
- Industrial Peace clause – 150-day notice requirement of intent to strike or lockout following contract expiration
For more details of the current offer, please visit the homepage.
The decision was not made lightly. The lockout followed more than two months of negotiations, including approximately 60 formal sessions.
Key factors include:
- The union rejected bp's proposal without addressing key issues.
- The refinery was operating under a rolling 24-hour strike notice.
- That day-to-day uncertainty of workforce availability created operational and safety risks.
The lockout allowed for a safe and orderly transition of operations.
Yes. bp and the USW were able to reach a Tentative Agreement (called a "TA") on some items. Some of these include Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) allowance increases and a 33% increase in the overtime meal allowance.
Separate from these TAs, bp repeatedly sought input from the USW on every proposal. bp reviewed that input and, where appropriate, made modifications. This feedback informed development of direct proposals and counter-proposals, including those related to enhanced training, employee upskilling, job qualification/competency models and wage progressions for Whiting employees.
Yes. The decision of whether our employees are permitted to vote is an issue that is internal to the union. bp respects the union's role in this process, and we hope that union leadership will allow our employees to vote on the offer.
The lockout can end once an agreement is reached. bp's current offer remains on the table, and we are meeting with USW 7-1's elected representatives to progress negotiations.
No. Base pay is increasing or staying flat across all classifications.
Employees are expected to see an average increase of approximately 13%, or about $7 per hour, over four years. A limited number of employees would see reduced premiums tied to work that is no longer required. Those employees would receive lump sum payments to offset the change.
Under the current proposal affected roles are in non-core craft areas such as scaffolding and HVAC. This work is not core to the refinery and would be transitioned to specialized contractors who are experts in these trades. This is common across the industry. Those employees would receive lump sum payments, in some cases up to one year of pay. Approximately 65 roles would be affected. These workers could return to work at the refinery with those contractors.
bp is proposing to discontinue the OSC and OSF roles and move to a simplified two-job structure made up of Operating Technicians in the field and Board Technicians on the board. This proposed change would not result in any employee layoffs, and affected employees would receive sizeable lump-sum payments and become Operating Technicians or Board Technicians.
No. No union positions have been eliminated as a result of negotiations to date.
bp has proposed several changes designed to support long-term career growth, improve operational reliability, and strengthen refinery performance over time.
These proposals include enhanced training and upskilling opportunities, along with a job progression model that places greater emphasis on skills development and demonstrated competency. The goal is to create clearer development pathways for employees while helping ensure the refinery continues to operate safely and competitively in a changing industry.
We are negotiating our total compensation package to compete with the external market. As part of that, the average wage increase proposed over the next four years of the contract is about $7 per hour or the equivalent of a 13% increase. Our average hourly earner is among the top 10% in the state of Indiana.
In addition, the refinery is proposing new rules on overtime management to help ensure overtime is distributed fairly and allow a better work-life balance.
Under the current drafting system, the most junior, qualified employee, is forced to accept mandatory overtime. The current approach creates disparities where more junior employees are consistently drafted, sometimes on back-to-back shifts.
bp's proposed round-robin system, by contrast, rotates overtime opportunities sequentially amongst eligible employees starting with the most junior employee working its way up the seniority list. Under bp's proposal, the round-robin structure would reset each pay period. This ensures that overtime distribution is transparent and predictable, and that mandatory overtime is fairly shared across the entire team.
The proposed revisions to overtime practices and overtime distribution systems help manage fatigue, enhance safety by evenly distributing overtime and support improved work-life balance.
Benefit eligibility may change during a work stoppage. However, bp has continued to provide certain benefits, including medical coverage, during the current lockout. Employees may also have options to continue coverage through programs such as COBRA.
Changes in benefits coverage like this are very common throughout our industry when an employee's employment status changes, which happens during a work stoppage. It is also consistent within bp where other non-represented employees have been placed in a similar status.
If employees have questions about their benefits, they can refer to the information we provided them via mail on January 23rd, call the bp Benefits Center at 1-800-890-4100, or visit bp.com/benefits at bp for more information.
The refinery continues to be operated by trained and qualified bp personnel. Approximately 450 bp employees are currently supporting refinery operations, alongside specialized contractors.
Many of the individuals supporting operations have prior refining or operational experience and completed extensive preparation and training in advance of the lockout, including more than 80,000 hours of training collectively.
Safety and compliance remain the refinery's top priorities, and operations continue under established regulatory and operational standards.
Yes. Safety remains our top priority. The refinery continues to operate safely, reliably, and in compliance with regulatory requirements.
We are using qualified contractors along with qualified employees to ensure continuity of safe and reliable operations during this period.
The refinery has had no operational impacts or reduction in production as a result of the lockout.
bp has taken steps to support safe, reliable, and compliant operations, including extensive workforce preparation and training prior to the lockout. bp continues to monitor operations closely and remains focused on maintaining safety, reliability, and service to our customers.
Fuel prices are driven by global markets, which are currently experiencing high volatility due to geopolitical strife. Refinery operations have not been impacted by the lockout.
We need to continue to make advancements in technology, which includes adopting artificial intelligence tools, to make our business safer and more efficient.
We are partnering with companies that specialize in developing software to advance safety, efficiency, production, and reliability.
The bp Whiting refinery wants to make it clear: we are NOT eliminating our Environmental Department. bp is committed to safety at our refinery – safety for our people, the community and the environment. The refinery has a dedicated Environmental Department that includes 30 environmental technicians, 9 of whom are bp employees. Our proposal is to shift the work of those 9 bp-employed technicians to our incumbent specialized contractor, which is common in the industry. Shifting to third-party environmental inspections would strengthen the independence and integrity of required compliance work.
The safety of personnel, the environment, and the community remain our highest priority. An experienced, trained group of approximately 450 bp employees are safely and reliably running the refinery throughout the lockout, supported by specialized contractors. We have spent over a year preparing and completed over 80,000 hours of training.