British Petroleum’s actions in the wake of the lockout of more than 800 workers in March have made a bill written by two Indiana General Assembly members that would guarantee unemployment benefits for locked out workers even more necessary, according to one of the bill’s authors.
The company has filed an appeal with the state asking that it deny already-approved unemployment claims, Indiana Senator Rodney Pol, D-Portage, told the Post-Tribune Friday after a press conference he, State Representative Chuck Moseley, D-Portage and other Democratic candidates held at USW Local 7-1 headquarters in Whiting. It’s also seeking to have employees who’re receiving or have already exhausted their unemployment pay the $335 a week back.
Under current state law, the union and the employer must exhaust all bargaining options and must be at an impasse before workers can be eligible for UI, Indiana Democrats spokesman Sam Barloga said in a press release. The new legislation, then, makes clear that locked out workers are eligible for UI benefits the day they are locked out.
Representatives for BP didn’t respond to a request for comment by press time.
Pol said he and others wrote their bill after they contacted Governor Mike Braun’s office immediately after the lockout to make sure the BP workers would be protected. At the Friday press conference, Pol reiterated that they will be moving forward with it when the January legislative session starts.
“At a time when we’re seeing record-high foreclosures and record-low homebuyers, we have a foreign company trying to starve 800 families,” Pol said. “It’s very simple: We’re putting out this policy because we truly believe (the workers) are eligible for the decency of being able to provide for their families.”
Moseley, the ranking member of the House’s Employment, Labor and Pensions committee, said the lock-out has been particularly hard for his family since his grandson is one of the locked-out workers.
“A foreign company coming to America and creating this much pain and harm for working families who only want to do their jobs is an indignity. It’s not something I ever voted for,” Moseley said.
Scott Houldieson, the Democratic candidate for District 1’s State Senate seat, called BP’s move “economic terrorism,” pointing out the unfairness that as a union employee for Ford Motor Company in Illinois, his benefits are double those of Indiana’s when he’s laid off.
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“I want to be here for this legislation because my opponent will be a vote against it,” he said. “We’re more powerful when we stand together than alone.”
Local 7-1 member Angel Colon, of Portage, asked if there’s been any talk of extending unemployment for the workers, to which 7-1 President Eric Schultz said they have a legal team working on that. Colon is also concerned that they’ll have to pay it back when the lockout’s over.
“We’ll make sure that doesn’t happen,” Pol said.
Cynthia Gil, of Schererville, teared up as she described the day her husband, John Miranda, got the job at BP 20 years ago. He told her their lives as they knew them “just changed for the better.”
“He’s the guy that the other guys have to tell to go home because he’s already worked 18 hours, and he’s saying he can go another six,” Gil said. “When is this going to end? And our governor allowing this to happen?”
To that end, Moseley told the group to email Braun today and ask him to come back to Local 7-1 and promise them he won’t let their unemployment get taken away.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.