Mrvan, USW leader call for end to BP lockout

U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, United Steelworkers International President Roxanne Brown and members of the Congressional Labor Caucus called on BP to end its lockout of Whiting Refinery workers for more than 90 days.

Several Congressional representatives spoke out against the lockout of more than 800 workers since March 27 at a press conference at a U.S. Capitol office building in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, saying the lockout has gone on "far too long." They called for BP to negotiate in good faith and stop demanding concessions when the company was making billions of dollars in profits.

Mrvan said 800 workers and their families were going without a paycheck because of "pennies on the dollar."

"To British Petroleum, you are underestimating the solidarity of Northwest Indiana, the steelworkers, the trades and all union members in our community," he said. "You are endangering our community by putting in replacement workers who are not trained. You are absolutely affecting our national security and energy costs."

Mrvan called upon the administration to take action to end the lockout. He said that it was a bipartisan issue and that Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, a Republican, walked the picket line with USW Local 7-1 workers.

"I call upon the administration who asks for labor support, who touts being a working men and women supporter," he said. "Now is your opportunity when British Petroleum, an international offshore company, is affecting American jobs, 800 families in Northwest Indiana. I close with a quote from Abraham Lincoln: 'All that harms labor is treason to America.'"

USW Local President Eric Schultz, who made the trip to Washington, D.C., said the locked-out workers were working two to three part-time jobs to make ends meet.

"BP just sits back in the hope they will starve us out," he said.

BP locked out workers over a labor dispute after the two sides failed to come to an agreement after months of negotiation. The company said it proposal, which includes concessions like the elimination of union jobs, is meant to ensure that the BP Whiting Refinery is competitive and sustainable. Company officials have said they are trying to manage the refinery's costs to ensure long-term viability.

"The BP Whiting refinery remains committed to engaging constructively toward a fair agreement that supports employees, the refinery, and the Northwest Indiana community," the company said in a statement. "BP also wants to end this lockout. The best path to resolution and to ending the lockout is for union leaders to return to the table with a counterproposal and continue meaningful dialogue."

Congresspeople ratcheted up their rhetoric at the at times fiery and profane press conference with labor leaders. A few Congressional representatives swore at BP, and Representative Donald Norcross proposed expelling London-based BP from the United States over its treatment of workers in Whiting.

He noted that BP's first-quarter profit surged by 485% year-over-year and that the CEO makes more than $15 million a year.

"It's like the Revolutionary War. King George over there is trying to screw the people of the United States," he said. "This time we're a little bigger. If you don't want to play by our rules and take care of our people in our country, go the (expletive) back where you came from. We have relationships with Great Britain. We're going to make some phone calls saying, 'What are you doing here? You don't treat your workers that way back there. Don't treat Americans like that. Come here, treat our people right or get the (expletive) out."

Norcross, a union worker, said he spent the first half of his life working in refineries up and down the Delaware River.

"They are dangerous places, by their nature," he said. "Having the right skilled people is essential to protect the community. When things go bad, they go really bad."

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell said union workers in Whiting were standing up for their jobs and working conditions.

"BP is sending a message that they don't give a (expletive) about safe working conditions," she said. "When they are bringing in people who are not trained for these jobs, I've seen what happens."

Dingell said the workers were skilled technicians, maintenance operators, emergency responders and other professionals who devoted their lives to keeping the refinery running safely and efficiently.

She said the lockout was wrong, especially since BP made $3.2 billion in profit in the first quarter.

"Working men and women need someone to fight for them, to stand up for them, to protect what unions have earned over the last few decades. People are hurting today," she said. "People are trying to take us backward. We need to say F you. We need to fight for working men and women every day."

Brown said it was an effort to break the union and eliminate jobs that feed the community.

"BP is standing in the way of those families earning a living, those families being able to put food on the table, those families being able to pay mortgage, to pay rent, to buy groceries at a time when every single American can tell you they're struggling right now to pay bills," she said. "BP is digging down. They have made a decision to continue to suppress the rights of our members by refusing to bargain in good faith with our members. We will not accept it."