Picketing in Chicago marks 100th day of BP lockout

On the 100th day of a lockout affecting about 800 union refinery workers in Whiting, Indiana, United Steelworkers supporters rallied outside BP’s Chicago headquarters, demanding the company accept a contract offer. Workers say BP’s plan to eliminate certain un

The 100th day of being locked out felt different for David Wesolowski—not because he was unfamiliar with hard work, but because the fight had moved from a refinery in northwest Indiana to the doors of BP’s headquarters in downtown Chicago.

Wesolowski. 50. is one of about 800 unionized BP oil refinery workers locked out of jobs at the company’s Whiting. Indiana. facility. On Friday, he joined hundreds of other locked-out workers and supporters outside BP’s office at 30 S. Wacker Dr. to demand BP accept the contract offer the union put on the table.

For Wesolowski, the stakes are personal and immediate. The company wants to eliminate certain union positions—jobs he and others say BP would replace with contractors. He said the timing of the lockout. which began just two months into contract bargaining. is part of what makes the situation feel like a power play.

“It’s union busting. It’s a power move,” Wesolowski said. He lives in Bourbonnais and has worked for 12 years as an in-house carpenter for BP.

Contract negotiations began in January and quickly deteriorated as BP and workers each made offers the other side considered unacceptable. The dispute centers on job security and pay, with workers asking for pay raises and job protections. BP, the workers say, wants to cut certain union jobs and replace them with contractors.

By early March, the disagreement intensified. Unionized workers issued a rolling 24-hour strike notice, and BP said the day-to-day uncertainty created a safety risk. On March 19, BP locked out roughly 800 employees while negotiations continued. BP has also been using contractors to keep the refinery running.

The union representatives who gathered outside BP’s Chicago office pointed to what they described as an imbalance of leverage. They said BP’s UK-based parent reported $7.5 billion in profit last year and argued the company is doing even better because elevated gas prices were driven by the U.S. war with Iran. In their telling, BP has money to spend and choices to make—yet locked workers out anyway.

United Steelworkers Local 7-1 President Eric Schultz, who represents the workers, said BP’s approach is meant to force the union’s hand.

“Every day that they drag our families through the mud, it makes it harder for them to get a contract. Every day, our members are digging in deeper, fortifying themselves. The community continues to come out to support us. They picked the wrong battle with the wrong union,” Schultz said.

For workers, support and slogans run into the everyday stress of bills and uncertainty. Joe Trevino. 48. a process operator and a BP employee of 20 years. said he lost his Merrillville. Indiana. home earlier this month after a storm tore off the roof. With nowhere to go. he is staying in a hotel nearby while he tries to get his life back on track.

Worrying about not having a paycheck, Trevino said, has made everything harder.

He said he has cut back on the type of food he buys, ended his streaming subscriptions and canceled traveling. He called the lockout unnecessary.

“It’s unnecessary,” Trevino said of the lockout. BP “made billions last year … and they’re tying to take from us? … It’s all unnecessary.”

BP, in a statement, said it values its employees and respects their right to assemble. The company said it is committed to safe. compliant and efficient operations and that it will continue negotiating in good faith with the union. BP also said the refinery continues to operate safely. reliably and compliantly. with no impact to operations because of the current labor dispute.

BP lockout United Steelworkers Local 7-1 Whiting Indiana refinery 100th day Chicago headquarters contractor jobs labor dispute