Hours before the deadline, both BP and the United Steelworkers 7-1 announced the union rejected the company’s “last, best and final offer” Thursday evening.
According to a union news release, 94% of its members voted Thursday and 98.3% voted not to accept the offer.
“Our members have heard loud and clear what BP thinks of them,” USW 7-1 President Eric Schultz said in a statement. “Now, BP has heard loud and clear what we think of their insulting proposal. It’s unacceptable.”
The proposal came after more than two months of negotiations, according to the union, which claimed it would eliminate and outsource more than 100 union jobs, cut base wages across nearly all job classifications, strip the union of bargaining rights, end seniority protections for layoffs and limit the union’s ability to strike.
BP reacted to the union’s vote in a Thursday evening statement.
“We are disappointed that, after weeks of negotiations, our represented workforce has voted not to ratify the company’s last, best and final offer,” the company statement said. “BP will continue to bargain in the best interests of our employees, our company and the community. The Whiting refinery remains dedicated to operating a safe, reliable and efficient refinery, serving our community for many years to come.”
BP presented its offer at 9 a.m. March 2, according to a previous update, adding that it came “after nearly 60 formal meetings and hundreds of hours of exchanges over a two-month period.” The offer expired at 11:59 p.m. Thursday.
Any operations specialist field employee in the union could also receive an additional $5,000, and any operations specialist cross-qualified union employee could receive an additional $7,500.
Base wage increases will be consistent with the National Oil Bargaining Program, according to BP, with a 3.5% increase effective Feb. 1, 2027. The average wage increase proposed over the next four years of the contract is more than $7 per hour, or a 13% increase, according to BP.
The offer also includes the adoption of a “best-in-class” operations and lab pay progression model and maintenance competency model.
BP’S other changes include a discontinuation of non-core craft lines, eligibility for up to five paid shifts of sick leave per year, increased overtime meal payments by 33%, increased boot allowance by 25%, flexibility to adopt artificial intelligence technology, “more equitable” distribution of overtime drafts and a four-day, 10-hour work schedule for maintenance technicians, according to the negotiations update website.
After the union’s vote, the USW 7-1 bargaining committee reported the results to BP and will give the company an opportunity to present another proposal.
BP’s response will dictate whether the union continues to negotiate or strike, and the union has to give 24-hour notice if they plan to strike. USW announced on Feb. 5 that it was prepared for a strike or lockout.
BP has trained replacement workers, consisting of current and former employees, to operate the refinery safely and in compliance with regulations if a work stoppage occurs, according to a previous email.
The union encouraged members to remove personal belongings from the workplace, schedule any medical, dental or vision appointments, refill prescriptions with 90-day supplies and postpone major purchases or financial obligations until an agreement is reached.
According to the BP website, if employees are absent from work because of a strike or lockout, they will not be eligible for employee benefits, adding that they can still receive benefits through alternative means, including COBRA.
“This is about dignity, not donuts,” Schultz said. “BP is making billions in profits, while demanding that working families sacrifice even more. That’s not going to happen. We are united and will not be divided.”
Negotiations updates from BP are available online, whitingnegotiations.com.
mwilkins@chicagotribune.com
