Workers at Kentucky electric vehicle battery production complex look to unionize
Workers hired for an electric vehicle battery production complex in Kentucky have launched a campaign to join the United Auto Workers
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Workers hired for a sprawling electric vehicle battery production complex in Kentucky have launched a campaign to join the United Auto Workers as the union tries to expand its foothold in the South and among battery factories, the UAW said Wednesday.
The BlueOval SK complex at Glendale is a joint venture between Ford Motor Co. and its South Korean partner, SK On, to produce batteries for Ford and Lincoln electric vehicles. The nearly $6 billion battery park — about an hour south of Louisville — is gearing up to start manufacturing in 2025.
The union said a supermajority of workers at BlueOval SK have signed union authorization cards to launch the public campaign to join the UAW.
The union will need to seek an election run by the National Labor Relations Board to organize workers at the two-plant complex in Kentucky. So far it has not filed papers seeking an election.
Production at one of the plants is scheduled to start next year. Construction continues at the second plant but a start date for production has been paused as Ford monitors demand for electric vehicles.
In a statement on its website, the union said it believes companies like Blue Oval SK “can do better to provide career-track, family-sustaining jobs that strengthen our community."
Asked for a response to the unionizing effort, BlueOval SK human resources Director Neva Burke said in a statement: “We want to maintain a direct relationship with our employees.”
The UAW said workers at Blue Oval SK, who are now nonunion, have weaker benefits than union workers at Ford. At Blue Oval, workers start at $21 per
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