Rep. Frank Mrvan urges BP to end lockout in letter to CEO

U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, sent a joint letter with Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Illinois, to BP CEO Meg O’Neill, urging the company to end the lockout at the Whiting refinery.

“We write to express serious concerns regarding the ongoing lockout of union workers at the BP refinery in Whiting, Indiana,” the letter says. “Skilled workers are vital for the operations and maintenance of this critical facility, and we have received outreach from community members expressing concern that this lockout jeopardizes health and safety, the region’s economic stability, and our nation’s energy security.”

The letter comes about two weeks after the company initiated a lockout for more than 800 United Steelworkers 7-1 employees after the two parties didn’t come to a contract agreement.

Gov. Mike Braun was in Whiting Tuesday and urged an end to the lockout as well.

A BP spokesperson said in a Friday email that the company received Mrvan and Budzinski’s letter.

“As we have said from the outset, BP is disappointed that, despite bargaining in good faith over the past several months, we have been unable to reach a deal for a new labor agreement with the (USW). BP remains ready and willing to continue negotiations,” the statement said. “BP will continue to negotiate in good faith in the hope of reaching an agreement that provides good wages while giving the company flexibility to enhance safety, improve efficiency and remain competitive.”

USW 7-1 President Eric Schultz responded to the letter in a Friday statement.

“From the White House to the halls of Congress to the statehouse and to every corner of Northwest Indiana and beyond, we appreciate the overwhelming support we’ve received since being locked out of our jobs by British Petroleum,” Schultz said. “Congressman Mrvan and Congresswoman Budzinski have always had the backs of union workers and we hope the company listens to them. We join them in demanding the company to lift the lockout and return to the bargaining table to negotiate in good faith.”

In their letter, the Congress members said the Whiting refinery is the largest in the Midwest, and plays “a central role” in providing gasoline, diesel and jet fuel to the region. Past disruptions at the refinery have disrupted petroleum product supply and raised energy prices in the Chicago market, according to the letter and Energy Information Association.

“For example, in 2024, when there was a prolonged outage at this facility, BP had to purchase fuels from the market to supply Chicago O’Hare International Airport in Illinois to ensure that passenger and freight transit would not be interrupted,” Mrvan and Budzinski said in the letter. “Especially at a time when global energy markets remain volatile, the United States cannot afford unnecessary disruptions at this key domestic refining asset.”

Constituents who live near the refinery expressed safety concerns about a prolonged lockout, according to the letter, saying that the refinery’s high-hazard chemical processes require experienced operators, maintenance technicians and emergency response personnel. The Congress members are concerned that staff who lack necessary skills and training are managing “abnormal operating conditions.”

A qualified unionized workforce is necessary to maintain safety, according to the letter.

“For nearly 140 years, the Whiting refinery has served as an economic anchor for Northwest Indiana and the greater Chicago region, supporting thousands of workers and their families,” Mrvan and Budzinski wrote. “As you know, the National Labor Relations Act requires employers and unions to bargain in good faith to negotiate the terms of employment. We urge you to end this lockout immediately and negotiate in good faith to reach an agreement that maintains a strong, skilled, unionized workforce at this critical facility.”

According to Post-Tribune archives, the lockout of USW 7-1 employees went into effect at midnight March 19.

“In addition to the status of negotiations, we have been operating in a continued state of labor uncertainty since (Feb.) 1, including facing the ongoing risk of strike with only 24-hours’ notice,” a previous BP statement said. “It is vital that we control this timeline to allow a safe and orderly transfer of operations to our qualified and highly skilled team.”

BP has trained replacement workers, consisting of current and former employees, to operate the refinery safely and in compliance with regulatory requirements, and the company doesn’t expect disruptions to its operations or production.

USW 7-1 members have picketed near the Whiting refinery since the lockout’s announcement two weeks ago. In order to end the lockout, the union must accept the latest BP proposal, according to Post-Tribune archives.

The company, in a negotiation update, claimed the union rejected proposals that “are critical to the long-term sustainability of the refinery.”

“They continue to demand that we cut more than 100 jobs, accept pay cuts to nearly all positions and give up our bargaining rights. That’s just unacceptable,” Schultz said in a previous statement. “We are prepared to keep fighting for a fair agreement that protects local jobs, protects wages and protects the rights of our members.”

Negotiations updates from BP are available online, whitingnegotiations.com. USW 7-1 also has a website, supportoilworkers.com, for negotiations updates.