Negotiations to resume at BP Whiting refinery amid monthslong lockout
One week away from Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of the summer travel season, with gas prices remaining high, negotiations were set to resume Monday at the largest oil refinery in the Midwest.
Victor on cam intro: Union workers here have been locked out of their jobs at the BP Whiting Refinery in Whiting, Indiana, for nearly two months.
On Monday, negotiations between BP and the union representing these workers are set to restart in an effort to bring the lockout and strike to an end.
Outside the refinery, union workers have gone on demonstrating in hopes of a new contract. About 800 workers with e United Steelworkers union have been locked out of the refinery since March 19.
Monthslong negotiations over a new labor agreement have stalled, but are set to pick up this week.
This is just one of the issues impacting the BP Whiting Refinery. A recent power outage was quickly resolved, but its impact lingered — prompting a recent uptick in oil prices in the Great Lakes region on top of the already high prices with the war with Iran, according to analysts.
"We're paying well over what we were this time last year," said AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz.
AAA said the average cost of a gallon of regular gas in the city of Chicago is $5.43, up from $4.74 a month ago and $3.75 from a year ago.
Analysts say relief at the pump likely will not come until a resolution becomes clear over the conflict in Iran, which has left trade traffic in the Strait of Hormuz at a standstill.
"Once we see a little more clarity in the timing and scope of any agreement, oil prices will start going down noticeably," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.
Drivers and passengers face these prices as summer travel season is set to take off. AAA estimates a record 45 million people will travel 50 miles or more from this upcoming Thursday through Memorial Day on Monday, May 25.
