The United Steelworkers is going over bp's head, asking the company's own investors to do what months of stalled talks have not: end the lockout at bp's Whiting, Indiana refinery. The union asked investors on Wednesday to press bp to end the dispute, which has kept out 800 workers since March 19 at a plant that supplies roughly a quarter of the fuel used across the Great Lakes region, including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Union takes its case to shareholders

The United Steelworkers, which represents the 800 locked-out workers, released a statement Wednesday framing the dispute as more than a labor fight. The union asked investors to engage with bp over what it called governance, safety and environmental risks, and to press the company to end the lockout and negotiate a fair agreement with the union. It said the lockout shows "a willingness to ignore the concerns of employees" rather than resolve disputes through good-faith engagement.

How the lockout started

bp locked out the Whiting workers on March 19, after the union rejected what the company called its last, best and final offer. That offer followed months of stalled contract negotiations. bp says the lockout has not disrupted production at the refinery, the largest in the Midwest.

bp's response

bp said in a statement that it has a proposal on the table offering "meaningful financial improvements, long-term certainty" and opportunities for employees to advance in their careers. The company said it has bargained in good faith throughout the talks and remains focused on reaching an agreement with the union. The union says the dispute is over jobs, wages and plant safety.

The union's safety argument

The United Steelworkers ties its investor appeal to bp's record beyond Whiting. The union cited bp's executive turnover and past safety incidents at the company, and said weak safety culture, tied in part to poor labor relations and morale problems, has led to past issues at bp-operated facilities. The union said similar issues could emerge at Whiting.

Why Whiting matters

The dispute centers on a plant with an outsized reach. Whiting sits in bp's downstream business, the refining and marketing arm that turns crude oil into fuel, and supplies roughly a quarter of the fuel used across the Great Lakes region, including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin. The refinery plays an outsized role in pricing across that region.