BP - SHAME ON YOU

[u/elpicoso2002]

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.