United Steelworkers Local 7-1 has alerted the BP plc's Whiting Refinery it has authorized its members to strike as of 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2011, when the current three-year contract is expected to expire. Negotiations are continuing between United Steelworkers and oil refining companies across the United States to forge a new national bargaining agreement. Locally, there are more than 1,200 USW-represented workers at the BP Whiting Refinery and at operators of local oil pipelines and terminals. Negotiations are done both at the local and national levels.