WHITING, Ind. () — The Whiting-Robertsdale Chamber of Commerce has given back a sponsorship contribution from BP Refinery for this month’s Pierogi Fest and says it will use the festival to collect donations for refinery employees who remain locked out.
In a message addressed to residents and supporters, the chamber said it had “made the decision to return the monetary sponsorship donation made to us by BP Refinery.”
Pierogi Fest is set to take place July 24-26 in Whiting.
The organization also announced that donation boxes will be positioned around the festival grounds to help more than 800 BP employees who have gone without wages since they were locked out of BP’s Whiting refinery in mid-March during an ongoing contract dispute.
Eric Schultz, president of United Steelworkers Local 7-1, said the response from the community has been encouraging. He said the union did not push the chamber to take action, adding that it appeared to be a decision the chamber reached on its own because members believed it was the right move.
The chamber’s move regarding Pierogi Fest follows a similar decision by the city of Hammond, which removed BP as a sponsor of next week’s Festival of the Lakes.
Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott addressed that sponsorship decision during an episode of his “Left of Center” podcast.
McDermott said he personally had not realized the city had accepted the money, but once he learned about it, he told Scott that the funds needed to be returned right away.
The union said it has been weeks since the two sides last met at the bargaining table. Union officials say the four-month lockout has placed increasing strain on workers and their families.
“Obviously the financial burden, people trying to find a couple of jobs to make ends meet or people moving out of state to find another job that’s comparable,” Schultz said.
Messages left by ABC7 for BP requesting comment were not returned Friday.
