Negotiations Update #20 from Chris DellaFranco & Nisha Jellbauer – Oct. 27, 2026

Transcription

Nisha: Hi, I'm Nisha Jellbauer, the engineering and technical services manager here at the Whiting Refinery. I'm here again with Chris DellaFranco, our refinery manager. 

We've been hearing questions about our ongoing negotiations with USW 7-1 and some specific parts of bp's proposal. So we wanted to take on a few of them directly.

Chris: Thanks, Nisha. Now, it's been seven months since the lockout began, and I know it's taken a real toll on you and your families.

It affects finances, routines, plans, and peace of mind. While I can imagine the anger, the stress, the uncertainty, frustration, and hardship many of you have experienced, the truth is that I cannot truly know what it's been like to be in your shoes. Only you and your loved ones know that, and that's not lost on anyone here.

I am encouraged, though, that discussions at the table have resumed. And while some issues still need to be resolved, I believe continued dialogue will lead to a ratified agreement that benefits you, your families, and the long-term future of the refinery.

To help us get there, I want to provide clear answers about what's on the table. So let's get to it, Nisha.

Nisha: Thanks, Chris. So we're hearing questions about the new proposed job progression models and the associated upskilling and training. What has bp proposed and how would it be implemented?

Chris: Okay, good question. We've proposed simplifications to our job structures and the advancement progressions within each job for operations, maintenance, the lab, and other classifications. Advancements within each job classification would be based on learning and maintaining job qualifications.

Now, bp has been successful in using job models like these for years in our most competitive refineries, such as Cherry Point and Castellon.

For example, in operations, we have proposed a simplified two-job structure consisting of operating technicians and board technicians. Operating technicians would need 5 operating stations in the field to become fully qualified. The only exception is the Coker, which has four operating stations. Board technicians would need to learn 2 consoles to become fully qualified.

bp and the USW have discussed that operating technician new hires should be able to become fully qualified in three years or less, and new board technicians should be able to become fully qualified in two years or less.

Now we have also discussed our comprehensive project management office to fully support the upskilling and training required, and also using our long-standing management of change process that would help gather employee and union input to help contribute to its successful implementation.

Now at the end of the day, making sure every technician is trained is bp's responsibility, and we take that responsibility seriously. We want to get it right with input from our employees, and further our proposal also includes using the process, maintenance, and lab committees to make improvements together. Our employees know their craft, and we value their input.

Nisha: Great. Thanks, Chris. So some are saying that under the contract proposal, bp wants broad, sweeping changes that are going to limit the union's rights. Is that true?

Chris: No, that's simply not true. There are areas that are ultimately the company's responsibility, like training where bp would retain final decision rights. However, we have made it very clear in our proposal that we intend to continue consulting with the union.

Additionally, our proposal will continue to use the joint process, maintenance and lab committees, and we would continue to review our ongoing training plans and processes for input and consideration.

Now, as it pertains to technology, our industry keeps changing and new tools, including AI, can help make the refinery safer and more reliable.

So for example, before you start your day, technology could pull together the safety information you need in seconds instead of tracking it down piece by piece. The goal is to quickly bring in tools that will help you perform your jobs more easily, safely, and efficiently.

Lastly, similar language proposals around the use of AI were already agreed by the international USW and in other bp collective bargaining agreements within terminals and pipelines earlier this year.

Nisha: Great, thanks, Chris. So bp has proposed a six-year agreement and a longer notice period before a strike or a lockout. So why both, and does that affect employees' rights to strike?

Chris: Okay, another good question. So proposing both because together, they would give you and the refinery more stability and more certainty around the future labor negotiations. Together, they could help protect steady paychecks for you and steady operations for the refinery.

So now let me talk about them separately and explain why. First, six years would give us time to fully implement the proposed job structures and progressions, including the associated upskilling and training for you, and it would give us time to operate under the fully deployed model.

I know this would move Whiting off cycle with the four-year National Oil Bargaining Program, or NOBP pattern. That's why we've proposed matching industry pattern wage increases in years five and six to retain that core element of pattern bargaining.

The industrial peace clause now is an extended notice period for a strike or a lockout. Right now, the union can strike within 24 hours notice and the refinery can lock out with no notice at all.

We've proposed that when a contract ends, neither side could strike or lock out for 150 days. It would apply equally to both the union and the company. Now, if a contract expires without a new agreement in place, everyone would keep working. You would keep getting paid and the refinery would keep running during that 150-day window as negotiations continue.

That's what an industrial peace provision does. It protects your paycheck and it protects the business from sudden disruption while we preserve space for the parties to work towards a negotiated settlement. Now, neither of these proposals would reduce or remove employees' bargaining rights or their right to strike. Instead, it gives you and the refinery more certainty and more time to reach an agreement before any disruption. That would mean more stability for everyone.

Nisha: Thanks, Chris. What do you want people to take away from this?

Chris: I think I'll start with we want you back at work. And we want you back at work under a ratified agreement that's good for you and good for the refinery's long-term future. The way we get there is through continued negotiations. And as I stated earlier, I believe continued dialogue will lead to a ratified agreement that benefits you, your families, and the long-term future of the refinery.

Now, we put multiple proposals forward and shown that we're willing to move. What we need now are meaningful counteroffers that we can work from.

Please encourage your USW elected representatives to come to the table ready to negotiate so we can make progress towards an agreement that you can see and you can vote on.

Nisha: Thanks, Chris. 

We'll keep sharing updates and answering your questions.

For the most up-to-date information on the status of negotiations, please visit our website at WhitingNegotiations.com. Thank you.

Chris: Thanks.