WHITING, Ind. — Governor Mike Braun met with locked-out BP workers in Whiting on Tuesday morning. About 800 workers have been locked out of the refinery since March 19.
Braun shook hands with protesters along the picket line, urging both sides to get back to the bargaining table.
"In this particular dynamic, when you're dealing with a super large corporation, and I'm looking at it from both angles, it's got to be a reasonable, honest broker discussion — and I don't think you're doing that when you lock out employees," Braun said during his visit.
Workers remain on 24-hour picket duty outside the facility. The union says BP wants to eliminate jobs and cut wages for most positions.
BP is using replacement workers to keep the refinery running. The company says operations continue without disruption.
The Whiting refinery processes more than 400,000 barrels of oil daily. It's BP's largest refinery worldwide.
BP issued the following statement in response to Braun's visit.
Whiting Refinery appreciates Governor Mike Braun’s engagement. bp will continue to negotiate in good faith and in the best interests of our employees, our company, and the community.
The Whiting Refinery remains dedicated to operating a safe, reliable, compliant, and efficiently run facility that can provide energy and good paying jobs to Northwest Indiana for decades to come.
We look forward to hearing from the USW bargaining committee on scheduling future negotiation discussions to ensure we can maintain a business that is resilient in all market conditions for decades to come.
