British Petroleum (BP) shuts down its Midwestern oil refinery.

The British Petroleum company announced on Tuesday that it will begin a strike at its Whiting refinery in Indiana, which produces 440,000 barrels a day, involving around 800 members of the United Steelworkers Union starting from 12:00 on March 19th. The reason for the strike is the breakdown of negotiations for a new labor agreement. After the union rejected the company's proposal that they believed was crucial for the long-term sustainability of the refinery, the British oil giant ended a 24-hour rolling contract extension and issued a strike notice. Maintenance workers were informed not to report after March 17, while other workers represented by USW will report before March 18. Last Friday, after union members overwhelmingly rejected the company's so-called "final, best, and last" proposal, British Petroleum submitted a revised contract proposal. The company stated in a statement, "At today's meeting, the union presented a slightly revised proposal but once again rejected the company's proposal that they believed was crucial for the long-term sustainability of the refinery." The United Steelworkers Union did not immediately comment.