Posts tagged BlueOval SK
Disputed ballots could swing outcome of union election at EV battery complex
September 2, 2025 // An election to determine whether workers unionize an electric vehicle battery manufacturing complex in Kentucky is in limbo Thursday because of a few dozen disputed ballots that could swing the outcome.
BlueOval SK begins production one week out from pivotal union vote. Here’s what that means
August 21, 2025 // Production is beginning just one week ahead of a major crossroads for workers. Plant staff will vote on whether or not to unionize with the United Auto Workers on Aug. 26 and 27.
KENTUCKY: BlueOval SK battery workers receive OK to hold union election
July 28, 2025 // We are disappointed by the dishonest tactic of the UAW in stalling a timely and fair election at BlueOval SK’s Kentucky 1 plant. The union proclaimed for months that it wants a vote because it said a “majority” of team members support the UAW. Now, the union has filed a blocking charge with the NLRB to stop this secret ballot election. This union legal maneuver is designed to thwart the election process. A secret ballot election, supervised by the federal government, will prove whether a majority of our team members want to keep their direct relationship with their leadership team or turn over their voice to the UAW.
BlueOval SK battery workers receive OK to hold union election
July 28, 2025 // East works in incoming quality control and is joined by Amber Levay, who is a production operator. They are among at least 800 employees at the plant that hasn't completed development yet. Officials with the group aiming to unionize told WHAS11 a supermajority of workers want to join a union.
Whatever happened to the effort by workers to unionize KY’s EV battery plant?
July 11, 2025 // The KyPolicy report says pressure from successful UAW bargaining at Louisville’s Kentucky Truck Plant and Ford Assembly Plant, and at Bowling Green’s General Motors Corvette facility has resulted in non-union plants across the state to boost wages. In December, BlueOval said starting wages would increase by between $2.50 and $3.50 per hour to as little as $21 per hour and as much as $32 per hour.
Ford, SK On battery park workers at BlueOval SK may soon be faced with a major decision
July 1, 2025 // BlueOval SK, a joint venture between Ford Motor Co. and South Korean company SK On, had contested the election petition, arguing an imminent union election would wrongly leave out the preferences of thousands of yet-to-be-hired employees. The company also drove an aggressive anti-union campaign, both at the plant and in online advertisements. "Bringing in a union would slow progress, force new training, and reset everything we've built," one BlueOval SK ad said. "Don't let unnecessary changes hold us back."
Investor group urges Ford to address claims of ‘union avoidance’ at Kentucky battery plant
May 8, 2025 // A nonprofit faith-based group that seeks to leverage its investing to advance human rights, racial equity and “the common good” is calling on automaker Ford to address claims of anti-union activities at the BlueOval SK battery plant in Kentucky. The letter from Investor Advocates for Social Justice details the group’s concerns over “strong indications that BlueOval Kentucky is engaging in union avoidance activities,” ranging from disseminating “anti-union flyers and media” to the United Auto Workers (UAW) telling the Washington Post that anti-union consultants have been brought in to persuade workers against unionization. The UAW launched a campaign last year to unionize the BlueOval SK battery plant in Hardin County, and workers at the plant in January asked the National Labor Relations Board to hold a union election. The BlueOval SK battery plant, one of two planned at Glendale to produce batteries for electric vehicles, is jointly owned by Ford and South Korean company SK Group.
Workers hope to steer giant Southern EV battery plant toward unionization
March 25, 2025 // Buoyed by notable victories in the last couple of years, the United Auto Workers union is revving up efforts to organize the EV and battery sector in the South. One target is a sprawling campus in rural Kentucky that, once completed, will be one of the largest EV battery plants in the world. A supermajority of workers at BlueOval SK has asked the National Labor Relations Board for a vote on joining the United Auto Workers. The nearly $6 billion electric vehicle battery campus in Glendale, Kentucky, is part of a joint venture between Ford and South Korea’s SK On. It’s not up and running yet, but early hires say they’re exposed to hazards on the job, including formation production operator Alisha Miller.
Beshear calls it the world’s largest EV battery plant, now they want to unionize
February 13, 2025 // The unionization rate in Kentucky has grown the past two years, and with Ford having two organized assembly plants in nearby Louisville, the next UAW victory seems logical in Glendale. “I’m not surprised to see this union organizing drive, and my guess is, the union will be successful when it comes up for a vote, especially if there’s already, shall we say, some misunderstandings about raises and safety,” stated economist Allen. “That’s going to make Ford’s job that much more difficult.” A date will be set by the for a secret-ballot election, and if a majority of workers vote in favor of the union, the next step is negotiating a contract for what will become the 10th largest manufacturing site in the world.
UAW scores supermajority at BlueOval SK in 2025’s first big labor win
January 27, 2025 // The supermajority vote by workers at BlueOval SK occurred after attending a town hall-style meeting in Elizabethtown, Kentucky with UAW members from Ultium Cells in Lordstown, Ohio last month. The Lordstown Ultium plant makes battery cells for GM and Honda electric vehicles and, like the BlueOval SK (BOSK) project, is a joint venture between one of the Detroit 3 and a Korean battery brand (in the case of Ultium, GM and LG; in the case of BlueOval SK, Ford and SK On).