BP locks out over 800 workers at Whiting refinery for 126 days; union accuses company of trying to starve them into submission

WHITING, Indiana – Elizabeth Piña has been at her union hall since 4 a.m., checking on picketers, organizing the food pantry, and chatting with coworkers. Wearing a black T-shirt and seated behind a table covered with schedules and stickers reading "end the lockout," she tells me she hasn't "had much of a summer." Her days have been dominated by early-morning shifts, Monday through Friday. When asked if she is tired, she replies, "Nope. We're just starting."

This is a routine that more than 800 workers did not choose.

The Lockout

British Petroleum (BP), one of the ten largest oil and gas companies on Earth, locked out its workforce at this crude oil refinery—which at peak produces 440,000 barrels per day—on March 19. The previous contract expired in January, and United Steelworkers Local 7-1 declined management proposals that workers say would existentially threaten the local.

The union has been locked out for 126 days and says it is fighting for its survival against an employer seeking to:

• Cut pay and jobs
• Undermine workers' ability to strike
• Tear the local away from national bargaining

Legal Dispute

The union claims the lockout is illegal. By late May, United Steelworkers (USW) had filed 15 unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging that the company is:

• Refusing to bargain in good faith
• Using threats and coercive statements
• Conducting surveillance

A Test of Endurance

On one side are workers who are not receiving the equivalent of strike pay (though members can request help from an assistance fund financed by USW). On the other side is an oil company that brought in $189.2 billion in revenue in 2025 and counts among its activist shareholders Elliott Investment Management, run by Paul Singer—a prominent Trump supporter known for slashing jobs and subcontracting labor. The company is sending in replacement workers, referred to derisively by workers as "scabs."

"Clearly they didn't lock us out with the intent to reach a deal anytime soon, or to try to find something that was good for both parties," Eric Schultz, president of USW Local 7-1, told me at the union hall. "They locked us out with their intent to starve us out. Obviously you don't starve people out in a month, you don't starve them out in two months. This is a long game for them, and we're prepared for it."

Financial Hardship

The reference to starving is not a metaphor. Numerous workers told me it has been difficult to make ends meet. Many who applied are now receiving unemployment, but that comes to less than $400 per week. Some workers with large families to feed are relying on donations to the food pantry.

Michelle O'Shaughnessy, a locked-out operator who coordinates food, transportation, and the union hall schedule, told me that several union members have had babies during the lockout. She has been stocking the pantry with diapers and formula, which families have been coming to pick up.

Personal Tragedy

Joe Trevino, a process operator who has worked at the refinery for 19 years, stands on the side of a busy road in front of a tank field, holding a picket sign reading "Illegal Lockout." In June, his house was destroyed by a tornado.

"I'm living in a hotel right now," he says. "I'm dealing with all that stuff, plus not having a paycheck come in, and nobody from this company has reached out to me to see if I'm okay, to check on my well-being. Nothing."

Trevino has been doing regular shifts at the picket line despite the personal tragedy. He started receiving unemployment in late May, but it is under $400 per week. "Things were tight before, now they're even tighter… I saved up, so I had a nice chunk of change going into this, but that is only going to last me so long, especially with everything else I got going on."

Bargaining Power at Stake

Workers say BP is trying to use the bargaining process to take away their power as a union. The company wants what it calls an "industrial peace clause," which would require 150 days' notice before a strike or lockout following contract expiration—a dramatic increase from the current 24-hour notice.

Workers worry that such a long delay would allow the company to undermine a work stoppage before it begins and would limit workers' ability to urgently strike when needed. Without the full power of the strike, workers have little leverage.

Locked-out refinery workers Pedro Tirado (left) and Joe Trevino picket next to a BP tank field on July 6. Credit: Sarah Lazare

Locked-out BP workers Yanira Stevens (left) and Elizabeth Piña at the USW Local 7-1 union hall the morning of July 6. Credit: Sarah Lazare