Stop British Petroleum’s Cuts. End The Illegal Lockout!
Your official hub for the latest USW 7-1 negotiation updates.
Stop British Petroleum’s Cuts. End The Illegal Lockout!
Your official hub for the latest USW 7-1 negotiation updates.
British Petroleum is demanding to cuts jobs, salaries and bargaining rights for our members, threatening our families and community. USW 7-1 is united for a fair contract.
Generations of local union workers have dedicated their careers to working at the Whiting refinery. British Petroleum has already eliminated hundreds of local jobs in the last decade and is now demanding to eliminate even more, while cutting pay across the board. We stand united in demanding a fair contract for local workers.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
The support from The Region – and beyond – has been incredible. Since British Petroleum chose to illegally lock us out of our jobs and take paychecks away from hundreds of local families, your support has only grown stronger. We can’t thank you enough.
To view the shirts to purchase—Click here
Items delivered to our union hall—Click here
We accept cash or checks by dropping off or mailing to:
United Steelworkers Local 7-1 Strike & Defense Fund
2045 Schrage Ave.
Whiting, IN 46394
Gas cards for picket vans, grocery store gift cards, bottled water, diapers/formula, coffee can be dropped off at 2045 Schrage Ave. in Whiting.
Due to limited refrigerator space, please contact officemanager@usw7-1.com to schedule lunch/dinner donations for picketers.
Got something you’d like to say to British Petroleum’s CEO, board chair and North American president? Add your name (and comments):
Contact officemanager@usw7-1.com or stop by our hall to join us.
Download and print a Fair Contract or Support sign to show solidarity or contact officemanager@usw7-1.com to pick one up.
Frequently Asked Questions
We are USW 7-1 – the union representing roughly 800 men and women who operate British Petroleum’s refinery in Whiting, Ind. At 1,400 acres, it’s the largest inland refinery in the country – and the last unionized British Petroleum refinery in the U.S.
We provide maintenance, operations, fire safety and environmental responsibilities that allows the company to process about 440,000 barrels of crude oil daily, which produces about 10 million gallons of gasoline every day, allowing them to earn billions in profits.
We have had a contract with British Petroleum for decades and the most recent contract expired Jan. 31.
As we continued negotiations, we mutually agreed to rolling 24-hour extensions of that contract. Our union accepted many provisions in their proposals, but with the complexity and length of each, we were unable to accept many in their entirety.
- March 2 – British Petroleum presented their “Last, Best and Final Offer,” demanding sweeping job cuts, pay cuts across the board and surrendering our bargaining and seniority rights.
- March 12 – More than 98% of our members rejected that proposal
- March 13 – British Petroleum presented a “revised settlement offer” that was somehow worse than their “Last, Best and Final Offer.”
- March 17 – USW 7-1 presented a detailed counterproposal, but just hours later, the company rejected that without comment. Instead, they issued notice they were cancelling our agreement to rolling contract extensions and that they intended to lock us out of our jobs.
- March 18 – British Petroleum began escorting union members off the refinery property.
- March 19 – We were locked out of our jobs and left without paychecks
USW 7-1 has accepted many aspects of the company’s proposals, but not in their entirety. They insist on taking actions we are unwilling to compromise on, including:
- Eliminating dozens of local jobs
- Hundreds of local workers accept pay cuts
- All union members agree to give up bargaining and seniority rights that generations before us fought to secure
Non-union workers from Texas, Louisiana and elsewhere have been hired to fill many of the manual and maintenance roles, most stepping into the refinery for the first time. In addition, British Petroleum managers and administrative staff are “locked in” and trying to perform skilled work, attempting to carry out operations and technical roles.
It is incredibly dangerous for people with no experience in our refinery to be asked to operate it 24/7 and we have seen several incidents and fires since those replacement workers began that work.
British Petroleum has launched a public relations campaign aimed at manipulating our members and our community. The fact is, they say they want to meet, but they have no interest in actually negotiating.
We have always wanted to continue negotiations, in fact, we sent the company a letter on March 18 – the day the lockout was to become effective – requesting to return to work and to return to the bargaining table.
Unfortunately, British Petroleum continues to say the only way to end the lockout is for our members to accept their demands to cut dozens of local jobs, slash pay across most job classifications and give up our bargaining and seniority rights.
That’s not negotiating, that’s making a demand. We remain hopeful the company will return to the table and negotiate a fair contract.
That’s up to the company. We have repeatedly asked them to lift the lockout and allow us to return to work.
To be clear, hurting local families was always part of their “negotiation” strategy. It’s a playbook they took from a refinery in Texas, where they ultimately broke the union. British Petroleum hired a lead negotiator on that contract to lead our talks. They are following his advice to cut and paste his Texas playbook here.
“For the sake of the country, BP needs to bring some good faith back to the bargaining table.”
—Peter Navarro, White House senior counselor
“If you’re not listening to them, you’re going to have trouble keeping them, and in this particular dynamic, when you’re dealing with a super-large corporation, it’s got to be a reasonable, honest broker discussion, and I don’t think we’re doing that when you lock out employees.”
– Indiana Gov. Mike Braun
“The greatest asset any company has is the workers. They deserve to be paid, work in a safe place and have the dignity of a good retirement. We’re concerned about the 100 members that could get laid off, AI tracking workers wherever they go and having all the power go to the corporation and the workers being left behind. We’re here to fight for the families of Northwest Indiana.”
– U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan
Lockout Updates
BP profit tops $5.7 billion amid Whiting refinery lockout
Hammond Teachers’ Federation calls for BP boycott as lockout continues
Inside the nearly 5-month labor lockout at BP’s Whiting refinery
August 4, 2026
From nwitimes.com
Inside the nearly 5-month labor lockout at BP’s Whiting refinery
Hammond Teachers’ Federation calls for BP boycott as lockout continues
Inside the nearly 5-month labor lockout at BP’s Whiting refinery
August 6, 2026
From wbez.org
Hammond Teachers’ Federation calls for BP boycott as lockout continues
Hammond Teachers’ Federation calls for BP boycott as lockout continues
Hammond Teachers’ Federation calls for BP boycott as lockout continues
August 4, 2026
From chicagotribune.com
Inside the nearly 5-month labor lockout at BP's Whiting refinery
BP cites 'operational' issues including at Whiting, Indiana refinery amid worker lockout
Hammond Teachers’ Federation calls for BP boycott as lockout continues
August 6, 2026
From chicago.suntimes.com
BP cites 'operational' issues including at Whiting, Indiana refinery amid worker lockout
BP cites 'operational' issues including at Whiting, Indiana refinery amid worker lockout
BP cites 'operational' issues including at Whiting, Indiana refinery amid worker lockout
August 7, 2026
from nwitimes.com
Inside the nearly 5-month labor lockout at an Indiana refinery
BP cites 'operational' issues including at Whiting, Indiana refinery amid worker lockout
BP cites 'operational' issues including at Whiting, Indiana refinery amid worker lockout
August 6, 2026
from grist.org
Media Contact: Steve Patterson, steve@arrowstrategygroup.com
VIDEOS/INTERVIEWS
PODCASTS/AUDIO
The Workers’ Mic (7/12/26): The Workers’ Mic talk about the BP Whiting refinery lockout
Labor Express Radio - Whiting BP Refinery workers locked out and Amazon workers at Labor Notes 2026
Labor Express Radio - Whiting BP Refinery workers locked out and Amazon workers at Labor Notes 2026
Labor Express Radio - Whiting BP Refinery workers locked out and Amazon workers at Labor Notes 2026
Labor Express Radio - Whiting BP Refinery workers locked out and Amazon workers at Labor Notes 2026
Labor Express Radio - Whiting BP Refinery workers locked out and Amazon workers at Labor Notes 2026
USW Local 7-1 President on the BP Whiting Refinery Lockout
Labor Express Radio - Whiting BP Refinery workers locked out and Amazon workers at Labor Notes 2026
USW Local 7-1 President on the BP Whiting Refinery Lockout
FEATURED EVENT PHOTO GALLERIES
Thank You
Elected officials and business owners across Northwest Indiana have shown their support for our families by putting signs in their storefront windows and passing resolutions or making public statements demanding British Petroleum lift its lockout of local workers and return to the table with a fair contract proposal.
U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan
Lake County Commissioners
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun
Lake County Commissioners
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun
Lake County Commissioners
Lake County Commissioners
Lake County Commissioners
Lake County Council
Lake County Council
Lake County Commissioners
Hobart City Council
Lake County Council
Hobart City Council
White House
Lake County Council
Hobart City Council
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Union Solidarity Against The BP Lockout Benefit Concert
$20 — ALL AGES. USW 7-1 Members enter FREE with Union Card. All proceeds go to the USW 7-1 Strike Fund. AVENUE 912 Music Venue & Event Space 202 W Ridge Rd Griffith, IN 46319
Friday, Aug 21st • Doors @ 6 PM • Starts @ 7 PM