Negotiations Update #5 from Chris DellaFranco – March 10, 2026
Before the vote: what employees need to know
Key Takeaways:
- We remain committed to operating the Whiting refinery safely, reliably, and in compliance while ensuring the facility remains competitive for decades to come.
- We believe changes to the way we work are necessary to advance safety, strengthen competitiveness, and continue providing energy and high-paying jobs in Northwest Indiana for future generations.
- Our Last, Best, and Final Offer includes an average 13% wage increase over four years, along with lump sum bonuses ranging from $7,500 to $15,000 and enhanced training opportunities through a new job advancement structure.
- We are proposing a six-year agreement with a 150-day industrial peace clause to provide long-term stability and support implementation of the new workforce structure.
- While we hope to avoid a work stoppage, we have prepared extensively to maintain safe operations with trained bp employees who have completed more than 80,000 hours of training over the past year.
"We need to change the way we work to make advancements in safety and competitiveness. We all want Whiting to continue to provide energy and good-paying jobs in Northwest Indiana for generations to come."
Chris DellaFranco, bp Whiting refinery manager
Transcription
Hello again, Chris DellaFranco here, the bp Whiting refinery Manager.
Before I provide an update on our on-going labor negotiations, I want to assure the community that we are committed to being a safe, reliable, and compliant operator today and in the future.
We also want this refinery to remain competitive in a range of market conditions, including low margin environments, for decades to come. To do this we must change.
We need to change the way we work to make advancements in safety and competitiveness. We all want Whiting to continue to provide energy and good-paying jobs in Northwest Indiana for generations to come.
These are difficult business decisions we need to make and they have very personal implications but they are necessary to achieve our goals.
This Thursday our employees will have a chance to vote on the Company’s Last, Best, and Final offer that we provided to the United Steel Workers bargaining committee on Monday, March 2nd.
Let me remind you of some of the key aspects of the offer:
First, a new job advancement structure that focuses on skills development with enhanced training programs. An average wage increase of 13% over the next 4 years. And, lump sum bonuses ranging from $7,500 to $15,000.
Next, we are offering a six-year term agreement, with a 150-day industrial peace clause. Both are critical to help us fully implement our new job advancement structure, to mitigate future risk and to provide stability for the organization
And lastly, we want to transition non-core craft work to our incumbent specialized contractor, while offering generous lump sum payment packages to those impacted employees.
We have put our best overall economic offer on the table with the hope that our employees ratify this contract and close out the negotiation process. This would allow us to begin implementing the new agreement.
If the contract is not ratified, we will continue to bargain in good faith; however, we cannot operate in a state of labor uncertainty indefinitely. Our hope is that we do not have a work stoppage.
In the event of a work stoppage, we have trained bp employees who have prepared for over a year, completed over 80,000 hours of training, and are highly skilled and qualified to safely run the facility. Again, our hope is that we do not reach this point, but we are prepared.
Thank you for your time, and I will continue to keep you updated as things progress.