The Whiting refinery released a letter to the union's elected representatives on Wednesday, August 26
Re: Recent Requests to Continue Discussions
Dear Messrs. Schultz and Lofton:
We believe it is important to continue working together toward a negotiated proposal that can be ratified and allow our employees to return to work.
As you both have consistently and publicly stated, our union-represented employees want to get back to work. That's a goal we share, and finding a path to a new agreement is how we get there.
This letter is a follow-up to the July 30 meeting convened by Governor Braun’s Office in Indianapolis to discuss the status of our negotiations. At that meeting, we discussed using the mediator already assigned to the Whiting negotiations by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) to assist us in accelerating progress toward resolution. bp agreed on the spot. The Union did not immediately agree to mediation and said it wanted to discuss internally before responding. We have not heard back on the Union’s decision and are writing today to request your response on FMCS mediation and prompt attention regarding resumption of talks as soon as possible.
Representatives of the bp Whiting refinery and USW local 7-1 union last met on June 16, 2026, and despite best efforts by the Company, we have not met since that time. On July 10, 2026, Thomas Hanson sent you a follow-up letter outlining his ongoing efforts to continue discussions with Union representatives toward reaching a successor agreement and, in turn, ending the ongoing labor dispute.
In that letter he summarized the Company’s efforts to engage the Union on June 23, June 29, June 30 and July 8. In that letter he also said the Company remains ready and willing to continue discussion on the issues that separate us and bargain in good faith toward a successor agreement. To date, the union has not responded to schedule a meeting.
The Union’s continued delay tactics in scheduling further meetings and about the use of mediation services is neither constructive nor a good faith effort to help us resolve these negotiations.
The Company remains supportive of using FMCS mediation services to work through the remaining issues that separate us. We are committed to bargaining in good faith toward a successor agreement that supports employees, our community and the Whiting refinery’s long-term future.
We look forward to your response.
Respectfully,
Jordan Marcks
Head of People Relations Americas
bp North America