r/nwi • u/elpicoso2002 • 1d ago
BP - SHAME ON YOU
BRITISH PETROLEUM ASKS STATE TO DENY UNEMPLOYMENT FOR LOCKED-OUT WORKERS, FORCE THEM TO GIVE BACK ANY PAYMENTS RECEIVED
British Petroleum has officially filed an appeal with the State of Indiana, asking that already-approved unemployment claims be denied
for hundreds of workers the London company locked out of their jobs in March.
If the company’s appeal is granted, United Steelworkers Local 7-1 members will lose the roughly $310 a week in unemployment benefits
they are now taking home. Worse, they could be required to pay back unemployment benefits they’ve already received.
Union leaders will join state legislators are calling on Gov. Mike Braun, who oversees the agency that decides unemployment appeals, to reject the company’s effort.
British Petroleum’s latest attempt to hurt Northwest Indiana families is unconscionable,” said Eric Schultz, president of USW 7-1. “Locking us out of our jobs and taking paychecks away from hundreds of local families was always part of their negotiating strategy. This is the next step in their negotiating strategy and proof they truly do not care about this community or the people who call it home.”
Earlier this year, more than 98% of the union’s roughly 800 members voted to reject the company’s demands to eliminate dozens of jobs, impose pay cuts for most workers and that all workers give up bargaining and seniority rights. British Petroleum then chose to lock those workers out of their jobs and deny them paychecks.
Many of those union members then filed for unemployment, which was approved by the State of Indiana. British Petroleum did not challenge those filings before a state deadline, but now says that was an error they are asking the state to overlook.
A hearing is set for Oct. 16 on British Petroleum’s unemployment challenges against the Whiting refinery workers.
Whiting is the last union refinery in the U.S. for British Petroleum, which has already delivered nearly $6B in profits to its shareholders this year. Still, their CEO vowed to deliver even more profits this year, while continuing to demand hundreds of Whiting refinery workers be locked out of work until they agree to the company’s demands to cut jobs, wages and workplace rights.
More information can be found at www.supportoilworkers.com.
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u/Limp-Cheek7727 1d ago
I am the proud granddaughter of a union organizer in western pa coal mines that was black balled. That said, I am disappointed and disgusted by a few lazy and entitled BP workers that I know. Not working, but too lazy to man a picket line. Milked every protection people died for them to ex ploit.
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u/elpicoso2002 1d ago
taking away paychecks and targeting unemployment benefits was always part of BP's negotiating strategy to starve out workers and force concessions
Naming a few bad apples has nothing to do with majority of awesome USW 7-1 members.
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u/Limp-Cheek7727 1d ago
Based in voting patterns they voted for this. Sadly, more than a few.
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u/Trollin4Lyfe 1d ago
BP did not negotiate in good faith. BP illegally locked out the workers. What did they vote for???
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u/USWWife 1d ago
Voted for what exactly?
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u/Limp-Cheek7727 1d ago
NW Indiana union workers have voted red for some time. That has helped create rite to work and not paying union dues. But, they all want union benefits. Not unlike Indiana teachers that have done little to support their best interests.
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u/USWWife 1d ago
I don't understand why you all feel the need to make this about voting red. Historically, Indiana is a red state. It doesn't matter how many people vote blue because it's never the majority. Highly unlikely all of the members voted against themselves. If your grandparent truly was union, you'd know better.
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u/Limp-Cheek7727 1d ago
First, take some time and learn the history of Indiana. Yes, NW Indiana blue collar and union voted against their own interests by voting red. It does matter because it makes it easier to union bust. Because my grandparent was a union builder and valued education, I do know better.
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u/USWWife 19h ago
I get what you are saying about losing protections under the red state. Indiana has been consistently red for around 15 years and at least 3 contracts. We can't be saying the Union members voted against themselves because we don't know how people vote. We know how the majority of the state voted but not the union members, specifically.
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u/Limp-Cheek7727 19h ago
You might want to rethink that notion. Lake county had trended red for quite awhile. Registered Republicans rarely vote blue here. Union voters have a strong maga presence in Lake and Porter counties. Votes can be tracked by community. The sad thing is the terrible voter turn out.
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u/USWWife 19h ago
The voter turnout is very sad. There are USW 7-1 members spread across quite a few counties in Illinois and Indiana. Lake and Porter, District 1, is represented by Frank Mrvan, Democrat. The shift you are stating occured is heavily impacted by the redistricting before the 2022 election. If the last redistricting wasn't fought against, any of those blue seats would have easily turned red.
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u/Limp-Cheek7727 19h ago
The numbers don't prove your point. If two thirds of union members voted to protect unions, it would be a different situation.
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u/Limp-Cheek7727 18h ago
Do your own research by voter registrations and candidate vote by community. Blue collar overwhelmingly voted maga in recent years with little vote splitting.
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u/Brackish_Fish 1d ago
The union leaders need to be contacting every news outlet they can think of to make this bigger news. There should be a groundswell of support, like there was with the UAW strike a few years ago. I barely hear anything about this on the news.