Chesterton’s Town Council has joined other Northwest Indiana communities in approving a resolution calling on BP to end its lockout against United Steelworkers Local 7-1 and resume negotiations.
Chesterton Council President Erin Collins, D-2nd, introduced the resolution, which received unanimous approval during Monday’s Town Council meeting. She noted that while BP’s refinery is in Whiting, Chesterton is among the many Northwest Indiana communities where the 800 locked-out union employees live.
“This isn’t about Chesterton inserting itself into the details of a labor contract,” Collins said concerning the lockout that started March 19. “Five months is long enough. It’s about asking both sides to get back to the table and asking BP to end the lockout.”
Councilman James Ton, R-1st, noted that BP has shown “a lack of awareness” for the rich labor tradition in the United States with the lockout and failure to negotiate. He said the company has displayed a “plantation mentality” with its take-it-or-leave-it negotiating stance.
“That’s not the American way. That’s not what we stand for,” Ton said.
A BP spokesperson said in a statement to the Post-Tribune that the company respects the town’s interest in the lockout and understands the desire to see a resolution.
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“We’ve repeatedly asked union leadership to come back to the negotiating table so discussions can continue. The company remains ready and willing to keep talking through the issues that separate the parties and bargain in good faith to reach an agreement,” the statement said, adding a “continued lack of response” from the union is slowing down “constructive dialogue.”
The council heard updates from department heads concerning the ongoing cleanup from the mammoth Aug. 11 storm that rocked all of Northwest Indiana.
Street Department Superintendent John Schnadenberg said the hope is the town will be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the extra expenses incurred due to the storm cleanup.
Schnadenberg said the town is documenting what was spent, which is required by FEMA.
Town Attorney Connor Nolan also suggested that the town make an agreement that if FEMA reimburses the town, a portion of that would be shared with the city of Warsaw. Warsaw sent workers for seven days to Chesterton to help with the cleanup.
Assistant Street Superintendent Dan Moy said crews have completed picking up downed limbs and brush from a quarter of the community. The job might not be completed until November.
In another ongoing matter, Assistant Town Engineer Matt Gavelek reported that his department is investigating new water runoff complaints they learned about during the Storm Water Management Board’s hearing on Aug. 17 concerning the Easton Park subdivision.
The town of Chesterton issued a stop-work order on July 30 to Easton Park’s developer, finding that Olson Farm LLC failed to achieve temporary soil stabilization and failed to prevent sediment-laden water from entering the property of neighboring landowners. The board, after the hearing, indefinitely extended the stop-work order, stipulating that the developer had to take a number of corrective steps to address the runoff issues.
Gavelek said the board is slated to next review the issue at its Sept. 21 meeting.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
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