The BlueOval SK battery manufacturing complex is located along Interstate 65 at Glendale in Hardin County. It is a joint venture between Ford Motor Co. and South Korea-based company SK On. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Austin Anthony)
A nine-month campaign to unionize a massive electric vehicle battery plant in Hardin County will culminate in a vote by more than 1,400 hourly workers this week.
The United Auto Workers (UAW) launched its campaign last November to unionize the BlueOval SK battery manufacturing complex, a joint venture between Ford Motor Co. and South Korea-based company SK On. The $5 billion complex in Glendale has been described by state officials as the “single-largest economic development investment in state history” that would employ 5,000 people when a second planned plant becomes operational. The company began production at the plant last week.
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will oversee the union election starting Tuesday and begin counting the vote Wednesday evening. The lead-up to the election has been contentious between the UAW and BlueOval SK.
The union, representing 391,000 active members including workers at Ford’s auto manufacturing plants in Louisville, last month called on the NLRB to investigate what it argued were violations of federal labor law by BlueOval SK for allegedly employing a “scorched-earth anti-union campaign designed to scare workers and chill support.” The UAW referenced a Louisville Courier-Journal report that found workers have raised concerns about mold exposure, injuries including broken bones and run-ins with bats.
A BlueOval SK spokesperson has denied assertions from workers of unsafe conditions. A BlueOval SK spokesperson also told the News-Enterprise in Hardin County the UAW’s call for an investigation last month was a “dishonest tactic” to stall “a timely and fair election.”
Tyler Connor, a production operator at BlueOval SK, wrote in a commentary provided to the Lantern through a UAW spokesperson, that he quickly decided to support a union because of negative experiences he had ranging from a lack of training for his job, constant policy changes that made personal life planning difficult and other concerns about workplace safety.
He wrote that a fire alarm went off one day, but he failed to hear it because of noise from a nearby air hose leak. A coworker walked by and let Connor know people were evacuating.
“If that had been a real emergency, I could have been trapped. That’s not just poor communication — it’s dangerous,” Connor wrote. “I want my voice heard, promises kept and a safer work environment. I want the peace of mind that comes with a union contract and a seat at the table to negotiate over our working conditions.”
If battery workers at the BlueOval SK plant choose to unionize, it would mark another victory for the UAW after unionizing other electric vehicle battery plants including most recently in Indiana. The UAW’s efforts are a part of its larger push to unionize electric vehicle battery plants across the country, but the union has had challenges with organizing in the South.
Mallory Cooke, a spokesperson for BlueOval SK, in an emailed statement to the Lantern said the company “has not, and will not, violate any labor laws.” The company has launched its own website making the case to workers against unionization, arguing a union could take away workers’ pay and autonomy.
“Mutual respect is a critical part of our culture,” Cooke said. “BlueOval SK looks forward to our team having their voices heard. Our team members have endured months of union sales tactics and slanders against their exciting jobs and proud accomplishments. They are ready for their voices to be heard.”
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