(WHITING, INDIANA) - Striking United Steelworkers (USW)-Represented Workers Who Picketed Outside the BP Whiting Refinery in Indiana for the Last Few Months Didn't Swear or March Up and Down the Picket Line or Throw Nails Outside the Gate, Bust Windows or Park Junk Cars on the Railroad Tracks Where Oil Tank Cars Exit Before Hurling the Keys Into Nearby Lake Michigan.

Instead, USW Local 7-1 Members Were Out on the Picket Line Day and Night to Show They Wouldn't Back Down.  They Made Sacrifices Like Keeping the Thermostats Down During the Winter, Not Going Out To Eat and Not Taking Their Kids on Outings.

And During the Nearly Three-Month-Long Strike That  Took a Toll on the Workers, Social Service Agencies Were Starting to Step In to Offer Assistance, Such as Loans to Help the 1,100 or So Refinery Workers Keep Up On Their Mortgage Payments and Stave Off Foreclosure.

So in the End, Was it Worth it?

USW Local 7-1 Members say They Won an Important Victory That Will Benefit Future Generations by Preserving Bargaining Rights and Giving the Union a say in Safety.

The National Pattern Agreement, Which BP Agreed to, Now Requires the USW Participate in Reviews of Staffing, Workloads, Daily Maintenance and Repair Work at Refineries Nationwide.

"This Strike Has Become ‘Part of My Legacy,’" said Sharon Warnecke, Who Was the First Female Firefighter at the Refinery and the Only One for 17 Years. "What We've Done is Going to ‘Affect’ Generations ‘Behind Us.’  We're ‘Grateful’ We Were Able to ‘Protect’ the People ‘Coming Up Behind Us.’"

The USW Was Unwilling to Concede Bargaining Rights it's Had at the 126-Year-Old Refinery Since 1937.  BP Added Language to the Contract saying the Union Can Bargain Over Wages, Benefits and Working Conditions When USW Local 7-1 Agreed to Forfeit its Ability to Strike Over Local Issues When the Agreement is in Effect.

"People Who ‘Haven't Even Been Born Yet’ Will be ‘Affected’ by What We Did," Warnecke said. "You’ve Got to Remember, This Refinery Has Been Here for More Than (120 Years), So it's Going to be Here for a ‘Long Time.’  We Have to ‘Protect the People Who are Coming Up Behind Us’ and Their Rights.  Kids That are Five Years Old Now Will Someday be Here Working."

Striking Worker Teri Smith said the Union Took a Stand, and the Agreement it Secured Was Historically Important.  Smith said They Were Fighting to Preserve the Middle Class in Northwest Indiana: "We're ‘Aware’ of What ‘Previous Generations Did for Us’ and We're ‘Aware’ That ‘We Held Onto it for Our Future.’"

You Can Directly Access This Labor News Story at: www.nwitimes.com/business/local/bp-strike-seen-as-victory-for-future-generations/article_6367ee30-266c-5244-9f89-a270c24e788e.html