Workers locked out of BP's Whiting, Indiana refinery since March describe the financial and emotional strain of the contract standoff, while BP says its position is aimed at keeping the refinery competitive ▻ ↧ Big Oil’s new playbook: How BP's US refinery lockout signals a sh... The British oil major and the United Steelworkers deadlocked in contract talks after BP broke from the industry's national bargaining pattern and sought concessions on pay, staffing, strike rights and automation.