Indiana’s governor has a message for BP: Now is not the time for workers to be locked out, so get back to the negotiating table.
In Northwest Indiana Tuesday morning for the inaugural Westlake South Shore Train unveiling, Gov. Mike Braun made a quick stop in Whiting to talk to BP employees. Those workers, who are members of USW Local 7-1, have been picketing since midnight March 19 after BP locked them out during stalled negotiations.
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As a business owner in Southern Indiana, Braun said that he built his business on the principle of “getting good people to come along with you, then paying good wages and good benefits.” The region looks so much like home for him that it’s easy to relate to people out here, “just wanting a fair bargaining position with a huge corporation,” he said.
While he agrees that businesses should be allowed to make their own decisions as they see fit, they should make the “right decisions” by listening to their employees.
“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,” Braun said. “Both sides got the ability to make their case, which you’re not doing when you’re not talking to one another.”
Further complicating the issue is oil prices hovering above $100 a barrel as of Tuesday afternoon and gas averaging $4 across the country, along with the war in Iran, he said.
“We’re fighting a war with someone that’s only had one mission in mind, and that’s to disrupt the world economy,” Braun said. “This obviously doesn’t dovetail with that, but my thinking is, enterprising state governments will solve a lot of the issues this time.”
He stopped short, however, of offering to step in to help the two broker a deal.
“Mediation will be between the two of them, and I’ll mediate by saying, ‘Get back to the bargaining table,’” Braun said.
Chatter among rank-and-file union members after Braun’s appearance ranged from gratitude to suspicion. But USW Local 7-1 President Eric Schultz said that he thinks it’s important to see a sitting governor standing with 800 families locked out by BP.
“Regardless of political parties or affiliations, I think he sees something’s not right, and he’s out here willing to take a stand against British Petroleum,” Schultz said. “It tells you a lot that he’s willing to put himself out there with a bunch of union families against a foreign corporation that hasn’t been bargaining in good faith and that’s trying to bust the union.”
BP said company officials are not refusing to meet or negotiate with the union, the Post-Tribune previously reported. The union and company officials last met March 17, when the company made an offer to the union, “and reiterated that the offer was available and that accepting it would avoid a lockout,” according to the company.
Starting at midnight March 19, union employees picketed near the Whiting refinery after BP initiated a lockout as the company and union still haven’t come to a contract agreement.
“Because the most recent meeting concluded with the company re-issuing an offer, BP is still waiting to hear back from the union on whether the union accepts the offer. BP remains ready to meet and resume negotiations if the union contacts us and expresses an interest in doing so,” according to a company statement.
The union has been reaching out to company representatives through official channels but hasn’t heard back. In an update ahead of the lockout, BP said it provided notice to cancel the 24-hour rolling contract extension, provided lockout notice and sought commitment from the union to help facilitate a safe handover of operations, the Post-Tribune previously reported.
“We value our employees and respect their right to assemble safely and lawfully,” a previous BP statement said. “However, we disagree with any statements or signs indicating the lockout is illegal. We do not expect impacts to our operations or production.”
The company said “the decision to lockout was not made lightly,” and took months of negotiating and consideration, the Post-Tribune reported.
“The union has not meaningfully negotiated about the company’s contract proposals that are most critical to the long-term sustainability of the Refinery. In fact, the union has unequivocally rejected our company proposals twice now without offering a counter that addresses any of the company’s concerns,” according to a company statement.
In a statement to the Post-Tribune, BP Spokesman Cesar Rodriguez said Tuesday afternoon that “BP Whiting Refinery appreciates Governor Mike Braun’s engagement,” and that it “will continue to negotiate in good faith and in the best interests of our employees, our company, and the community,” adding that “the Whiting Refinery remains dedicated to operating a safe, reliable, compliant, and efficiently run facility that can provide energy and good paying jobs to Northwest Indiana for decades to come.”
“We look forward to hearing from the USW bargaining committee on scheduling future negotiation discussions to ensure we can maintain a business that is resilient in all market conditions for decades to come,” Rodriguez said.
While Braun has said previously that he largely supports unions, his companies, the auto parts distribution company Meyer Distributing and transportation company Meyer Logistics, have been found to have repeatedly withheld wages, engaged in discriminatory termination practices and violated federal labor law, WCPT Radio reported in 2024.
He also received a 20% score with the AFL-CIO in 2024 for voting against workers, according to that union’s website.
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Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune; reporter Alexandra Kukulka contributed.