U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, showed the BP Whiting Refinery’s union workers Tuesday that they have supporters nationwide while they’re locked out from their jobs.
“We stand behind labor, and we stand behind (United Steelworkers) Local 7-1 and those families who are out of work for 92 days,” Mrvan said. “When the steelworkers are locked out in Northwest Indiana, Northwest Indiana stands in solidarity.”
Mrvan and other Congressional Labor Caucus members called for an end to the more than three-month long union lockout at the Whiting refinery in a Tuesday press conference in Washington, D.C. Other Congressional participants include U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Michigan; U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross, D-New Jersey; U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wisconsin; U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Illinois; and U.S. Rep. Jesus Chuy Garcia, D-Illinois.
United Steelworkers International President Roxanne Brown and USW Local 7-1 President Eric Schultz also joined.
“We’re locked out not because of demands that our members are making, not because of demands that we’ve put on the table,” Schultz said, “but because of concessionary demands that British Petroleum has put on the table, and they’re absolutely hellbent on taking from us.”
According to BP’s website, the oil giant made a $3.2 billion profit in 2026’s first quarter, which multiple speakers shamed Tuesday while advocating for the lockout’s end.
A BP spokesperson responded to the press conference in a Tuesday evening statement.
“The BP Whiting refinery remains committed to engaging constructively toward a fair agreement that supports employees, the refinery, and the Northwest Indiana community,” the statement said. “BP also wants to end this lockout. The best path to resolution and to ending the lockout is for union leaders to return to the table with a counterproposal and continue meaningful dialogue.”
The parties last held their 63rd formal bargaining session on June 10, which was the first since May 22, according to Post-Tribune archives. Negotiations began Jan. 5, and the previous contract expired Jan. 31. BP initiated a lockout of more than 800 union employees on March 19.
Since the lockout’s beginning, about 450 employees and “specialized contractors” operate the refinery during the lockout. Refinery officials claim that the facility continues to “operate safely, reliably, and compliantly,” without impact to operations.
Mrvan said Tuesday that the use of replacement workers is unsafe and a threat to national security as the refinery provides oil to places across the country.
“This is a very dangerous job, and we have replacement workers who do not have the same training as the United Steelworkers,” Mrvan said. “We have trained professionals that make sure our oil refinery in Northwest Indiana operates safely and efficiently and provides energy to our country.”
During the press conference, Brown thanked Schultz for his work on negotiations and advocating for union workers. She said Tuesday’s event shined a light on shameful behavior at the Whiting refinery.
“BP is engaged in what is essentially an effort to break the union,” Brown said. “They are engaged in an effort to weaken labor standards, to weaken protections, to eliminate jobs — jobs that quite literally … help to feed a community.”
The union president said she’s proud to bring awareness on Capitol Hill and show BP that people are standing behind them. Brown said the company is standing in the way of union families earning a living and their ability to afford bills.
“They have made a decision to continue to suppress the rights of our members to collectively bargain by refusing to bargain in good faith with our members,” Brown said. “And to that, we say shame.”
