Negotiations Update #4 from Chris DellaFranco – March 2, 2026
bp Whiting refinery’s Last, Best, and Final Offer
Key Takeaways:
- bp America has put forward a fair and competitive final offer that supports employees while also strengthening the long-term safety and resilience of the refinery.
- Our proposal provides meaningful compensation, greater stability, and a practical path forward for the business and the workforce.
- We have been bargaining in good faith for 8 weeks, holding nearly 60 formal sessions and many more informal discussions, with the intent of reaching a fair agreement.
- Our employees will see an average increase of 13%, or $7 per hour, over the next 4 years, and all employees will receive a one-time lump sum payment of at least $7,500.
- We are maintaining our position to transition the non-core craft line work to our incumbent specialized contractor, which is a common practice in the industry. We are offering generous lump sum payment packages for those affected employees.
"Our final offer is fair, and it would balance the needs of employees with the long-term safety and competitiveness of the business."
Chris DellaFranco, bp Whiting refinery manager
Transcription
Hello again, my name is Chris DellaFranco, and I’m the bp Whiting refinery Manager. I want to give you an update on the progress of our labor negotiations.
We have presented the local United Steel Workers bargaining committee with our most comprehensive and competitive offer, also known as a Last, Best, and Final Offer. We hope that they will allow our employees to vote and ratify the agreement.
As a reminder, we have been bargaining, in good faith, for 8 weeks and have held nearly 60 formal sessions, and many more informal discussions with an intent to reach a fair agreement. Our final offer is fair and it would balance the needs of employees with the long-term safety and competitiveness of the business. We value our employees and need to ensure we are a resilient business, in a range of economic conditions, even in low margin environments, for generations to come.
Let me just cover quickly some of the key aspects of the offer.
First, we are seeking a 6-year term agreement, with a 150-day industrial peace clause. This will bring stability for the business and employees.
Second, we are proposing a new job advancement structure that focuses on skills and competency development with enhanced training programs to support. Along with this we have proposed a new total compensation package to compete in the external market. What this means is that even after the job restructuring, our employees will see an average increase of 13%, or $7 per hour over the next 4 years. In addition, all employees would receive a one-time lump sum payment of at least $7,500.
We recognize nearly 20% of our employees would see a bigger impact, due to the proposed job restructurings, which is why we have offered an additional lump sum payment ranging from $5,000 to $7,500 for those employees. This means those employees would see a one-time lump sum payment totaling $12,500 or $15,000.
These incentives are available to our employees if the Last, Best, and Final Offer is ratified.
Third, we are maintaining our position to transition the non-core craft line work to our incumbent specialized contractor, which is a common practice in the industry. We are offering generous lump sum payment packages for those affected employees.
Other key aspects include improved provisions for overtime selection, the use of Artificial intelligence technologies, and a new work schedule for Maintenance.
Again, our hope is that the USW bargaining committee allows our employees to vote on the Last, Best, and Final offer that we have provided. A ratification of this offer will close out the negotiation process and return stability to the workforce, which would avoid a potential work stoppage.
Thank you for your time, and I will continue to keep you updated as things progress.