National contract talks between refiners led by Marathon Petroleum and the United Steelworkers Union continued nearly a week after the previous labor agreement expired, as union workers at BP's 440,000 b/d Whiting, Ind., refinery voted to stop work.

USW, which represents more than 30,000 workers in refining, production, pipelines, maintenance, storage and petrochemical facilities, said in a Thursday member update that its national policy committee is meeting with local USW unions to determine their next steps. USW union members account for two-thirds of all U.S. refining capacity.

The last four-year national pattern collective bargaining agreement expired at midnight Saturday. At that time, both Marathon and USW agreed to rolling 24-hour extensions of the current contract, meaning all agreements remain in place until a new contract is reached or either side gives 24-hour notice to cancel the extension, likely leading to walkouts.

Marathon Executive Vice President of Refining Michael Henschen on Tuesday described the talks as "positive," adding that both sides are making progress.

Labor agreements in the U.S. are negotiated at both the national and local levels. The parties meet to agree on industry standards for wage increases, while local unions negotiate over site-specific issues such as work schedules.

The local USW chapter that represents workers at the BP Whiting refinery said it received approval from 98% of the union's more than 800 members to authorize a strike.

The local said that while it had agreed 24-hour rolling extensions of the previous deal, it added that "BP wouldn't honor any contract extension for pipeline employees across the Midwest and there has been no meaningful progress in negotiations."

The local said it instructed members to remove personal items from the workplace and "secure prescription refills and schedule medical visits now, while insurance coverage remains in effect."

A BP spokesman on Thursday said the company remains focused on reaching a fair and equitable agreement and avoiding a work stoppage. He also said the statements from the union that there has been little dialogue with the company weren't accurate.

In the event of a work stoppage, refiners could turn to replacement workers, including current and former employees to keep the facility running.

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Reporting by Frank Tang, ftang@opisnet.com; Editing by Jeffrey Barber, jbarber@opisnet.com

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 06, 2026 11:18 ET (16:18 GMT)

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