Lake County Council Votes 6-0 to End BP Whiting Lockout

The Lake County Council voted 6-0 on July 14 to call on BP to immediately end the lockout of about 800 workers at the Whiting refinery, the Midwest's largest, processing 440,000 barrels of crude per day. The lockout began March 19, and the 63rd bargaining session on June 10 was the last one held; no 64th is on the calendar.

The core of the dispute is BP's rejection of six decades of National Oil Bargaining Program pattern bargaining. Marathon set the 2026 pattern at a 15% wage increase over four years plus a $2,500 signing bonus, and ExxonMobil, Chevron, Valero, and Shell all accepted it. BP has stated publicly it is not obligated to follow the pattern. USW has filed 15 unfair labor practice complaints, and if the NLRB Regional Director pursues a Section 10(j) injunction, that becomes a faster resolution path than another bargaining session. For any Indiana facility with pattern-bargaining exposure, this is the moment to have labor counsel review your contract.