Union workers at the BP refinery in Whiting, who have been locked out by the company for more than three weeks, do not appear to be close to a resolution that would get them back to work.
The United Steelworkers Local 7-1 is asking the company to lift the lockout and continue negotiations.
BP wants concessions first.
Chris DellaFranco, the plant manager, says the company is willing to get back to the table, but ending the lockout requires movement on the union's end.
"The union's position would have us return to work under the prior agreement without resolving the issues we have been bargaining for for months, including issues that matter to the long-term safety and competitiveness of this refinery," he said in a video message. "We cannot simply return under the prior agreement and ignore those issues."
Local 7-1 President Eric Schultz said when the lockout occurred, he wasn't expecting a quick resolution.
"This lockout could last months," he told WBBM. "Management has indicated that this could last up to a year. So, on one hand they say that they want to bargain in good faith, but on the other hand they're saying, 'we're not going move, you have to agree to what we said or you're going to remain locked out.'"
The union shared a screenshot of a help wanted ad aimed at refinery workers on the Gulf Coast, offering 127 dollars-an-hour for qualified replacement workers at the Whiting refinery, working 12-hour shifts for a "six-month project."
That amounts to more than $1,500 per day.
The union says "If they were committed to reaching a fair agreement, they would not be offering $127 an hour."
The union says the company's demands include eliminating some jobs, cutting some wages and giving up some bargaining rights.
