Negotiations Update #18 from Chris DellaFranco – Sept. 29, 2026

Transcription

Hello, Chris DellaFranco here, the bp Whiting Refinery Manager. In my last two videos, I walked through our proposals on training and job progression and on compensation, work-life balance and benefits. Today I want to cover two more parts of our proposal, the length of the agreement and the notice period for a strike or a lockout.

So what are we proposing? Let's start with the six-year proposed term of the agreement. Six years might sound like a long time, So let me explain why we're proposing this. Simply put, a longer contract term provides the needed stability for the refinery and employees.

We are proposing changes that include new job classifications in operations, maintenance, and lab, and a new way to move up that's based on the skills you build, not just time in the job. We're going to invest in the training to get you there. Doing that right for all our employees and everyone who joins after takes time. But this isn't just about our timeline. It's also about yours.

A six-year term gives you certainty in your pay, your benefits, and your working condition for years. So there's more stability for you and your family. And to be clear, you won't have to wait six years to see those benefits. While the refinery would be managing those changes over multiple years, once a contract is ratified, you would start seeing opportunities to grow your knowledge and qualifications and the pay that comes with that right away.

So the proposed six-year term gives us a good runway to put our proposed training and progression changes in place, and it gives you, your family, and the refinery the stability to make long-term plans. Now I recognize this would move Whiting off the current NOBP pattern of four years. We are offering the last two years of our agreement to match future NOBP pattern wage rate increases so that you still would retain one of the core elements of pattern bargaining. Stability isn't just about how long the contract runs. It's also about what happens if we don't reach a new agreement at the end of the contract term. So I want to walk you through something that's called an industrial peace clause. An industrial peace clause is essentially an extended notice period before the union can strike or before the company can initiate a lockout. Right now the union can call a strike with just 24 hours notice and the company can call a lockout with none at all. Neither side gets much warning, and that's not good for anyone.

Our proposal is 150 days of advance notice following contract expiration for either the union to initiate a strike or for the company to initiate a lockout. This is something that's common in the industry, and it's already in other USW agreements. Now to be clear, this proposal would apply to both sides equally.

It would give everyone, our employees, our community, and the refinery, more time to plan before a lockout or strike could happen in the future. But of course, our goal is to reach an agreement without disruption from either a strike or a lockout. That's important because the 150-day window would give both the union and the company a period to continue to make progress towards an agreement. There's more detail on both of these proposals on the website, whitingnegotiations.com, and I would encourage you to look at it.

So in summary, what does this mean for you and your family? First, a six-year contract would give you the time needed to gain qualifications, build experience, earn raises under the new structure, and ultimately see the benefits of an even safer, more reliable refinery. A six-year contract would also give you a clear, long-term view of your benefits, and how your wages would increase over time. Second, it would mean fewer disruptions. Negotiations have an impact on everyone. A longer agreement and an industrial peace clause could minimize disruptions and provide a framework to support future maintenance, modernization, and investment decisions at the refinery.

So in closing, at the end of the day, these proposals are about making sure you succeed under the new model, providing stability that protects our refinery jobs, and supporting the continuity of our safe and reliable operations. We do all of this for the benefit of our workforce, this refinery, and the Northwest Indiana community.

We want to reach a ratified agreement and bring you back to the refinery so we can begin this next chapter together. To make that happen, we will continue to meet with USW 7-1 representatives to find common ground as our negotiations progress. Thanks for listening and please go to WhitingNegotiations.com to stay up to date.