GLENDALE, Ky. ― On Aug. 26 and 27, employees at the sprawling BlueOval SK Battery Park in Hardin County will vote on whether to unionize with the United Auto Workers, the National Labor Relations Board announced.
Eligible voters include workers "All full-time and regular part-time production and maintenance employees employed by (BlueOval SK) at its Glendale, Kentucky facility; who were employed by (BlueOval SK) during the payroll period ending July 26," according to an election notice filed by the NLRB on July 31.
The vote marks a pivotal moment for the plant ― already beleaguered by an unsteady electric vehicle market, retrenched subsidies and more than a year of bitter tensions between workers and the company over occupational safety and health issues ― and the electric vehicle industry as a whole.
The vote comes more than six months after workers initially filed a petition to request an election at the nearly $6 billion battery plant that is a joint venture between Ford Motor Co. and South Korea-based SK On.
After receiving an initial direction of election ruling from the NLRB, a blocking charge was filed by the UAW to further delay the election date. However, the election block indication has been removed from the case file in the NLRB online database. On July 23, a request for review of the blocking charge and requests the election be unblocked by BlueOval SK was posted to the NLRB database.
Investigation: Chemicals, mold, bats, broken bones: Workers concerned over safety at BlueOval SK plant
UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith told The Courier Journal before the July 31 filing the union wanted the election blocked because as time was drawn out from the initial petition for election momentum slowed, workers quit and new hires at the company were facing "anti-union" propaganda in their new hire orientation and trainings.
"We have got to reload," Smith said. "We cannot vote when we don't have the numbers or feel like we can win."
According to two filings with the U.S. Department of Labor, BlueOval SK hired Oklahoma-based LRI Consulting Services, a firm that specializes in union consulting, including "avoid a union" services. One of the filings states the agreement is costing BlueOval SK an, "hourly rate of $425 per hour, plus reasonable travel expenses" and the agreement "is for no specific time and may be terminated by either party at any time."
BlueOval SK did not immediately respond to an email for comment on the evening of July 31.
In January, when workers initially filed to unionize, several workers and Smith told The Courier Journal they had secured a majority and would win the union election. Between January and June, BlueOval SK and the UAW went back and forth pleading their case to the NLRB as to why there should, or should not be, an election.
"They're beating the workers down, day in and day out, day in and day out," Smith said.
A UAW victory would represent the second battery plant to unionize following Ultium Cells in Ohio, which is a joint venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solution and joined the UAW in 2024. Additionally, a UAW victory would give the 90-year-old union a bigger stake in the South, a region that has historically revered "right-to-work" laws, which leaves joining a union to individual choice.
In 2023, following contract negotiations with Ford, GM and Stellantis, the UAW vowed to unionize more auto plants in the South and the soon-to-come-online electric vehicle battery plants cropping up across the region. The battery plant in Glendale could add thousands of members to the union once the total promised employees for its twin facilities on site are hired.
The BlueOval SK Battery Park has faced a slew of worker complaints filed to Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health officials, noting issues of mold exposure, broken bones and bat infestations, a Courier Journal investigation revealed in May. Additional records have shown employees felt unsafe and refused to handle toxic chemicals saying, "You can fire us if you want to" in a meeting, The Courier Journal previously reported.
Notably, the NLRB ruling notes some unanswered questions about BlueOval SK's timeline for hiring, citing a lack of evidence from the company and uncertainty on the issue of customer demand for the plant's product.
BlueOval SK's hiring plans are 'speculative,' NLRB finds
In the NLRB case, BlueOval SK shared expectations of increasing employment to about 1,400 by May 2025 ― beyond which employment and customer demand are more uncertain.
"(A)lthough the Employer presented evidence of its predicted employee complement in October 2025of 1,823 employees, this number is not a guarantee," according to the NLRB ruling. "In addition, the Employer never explained the basis for this projection."
BlueOval SK said the first, existing plant, known as KY 1, will be fully staffed at 2,500 workers, a figure the NLRB deemed "speculative."
"The record does not contain any evidence to establish when it expects to be fully staffed, or where the additional employees will be employed," whether in the first existing plant (KY 1) or the neighboring, incomplete plant (KY 2), the NLRB found.
More: 'We want a voice:' BlueOval SK battery plant employees speak out at union rally
The stakes are high for these hiring benchmarks. If BlueOval SK lags on job creation, the company could fall behind on the time-sensitive terms of a forgivable $250 million loan from the state.
Starting December 2026, "BlueOval SK must meet a minimum job and wage requirement," according to the company. "If those requirements are met, the principal on the loan due the following March is forgiven."
These figures are separate from the $9.6 billion loan BlueOval SK received from the U.S. Department of Energy, more than half of which is devoted to the company's Hardin County project.
The company delayed production in its KY 2 plant, citing lower-than-expected demand for electric vehicles. The market could face further headwinds as the Trump administration looks to strip away incentives for EV buyers.
Still, Ford touted a "record half-year" for its electrified portfolio in Q1-Q2, selling more than 150,000 electrified vehicles and "outselling the combined electrified portfolios" of competitors General Motors and Stellantis.
However, in the company's second quarter report on July 30 it was revealed Ford continues to lose money on EVs. The EV unit lost $1.3 billion in the quarter, a wider loss than the $1.1 billion it lost in the year-ago period, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Contact business reporter Olivia Evans at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @oliviamevans_. Connor Giffin is an environmental reporter at The Courier Journal. Reach him directly at [email protected] or on X @byconnorgiffin.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: BlueOval SK Battery Park workers will vote to join the UAW union
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