BlueOval SK Workers Push for Union Amid Kentucky NLRB Election Fight

BlueOval SK Workers Push for Unionization Amid Safety and Health Concerns

GLENDALE, KY—In a recent development, BlueOval SK employees are advocating for a union to ensure their voices are heard, particularly about workplace health and safety. This effort harks back to the historical initiatives by Ford Motor Company workers nearly a century ago, emphasizing the importance of safe working environments. This campaign gains momentum as BlueOval SK workers, part of Ford's joint venture battery plant in Kentucky, prepare for an NLRB-supervised election in the coming weeks.

Watch “BlueOval SK Union Drive Echoes Workers’ Historic Safety Fight at Ford” video here.

After enduring a vigorous anti-union campaign by the company, BlueOval SK’s production and maintenance staff will have the opportunity to cast their votes on August 26 and 27. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will oversee this electoral process, with the counting of ballots commencing at 8 p.m. on August 27.

The newly released video draws parallels between current efforts and the past, illustrating workers’ demands for fundamental rights. "It’s our time to sit across the table from management as equals," declare several BOSK employees in the video. "We want a legally binding contract that guarantees our wages, health care, PTO policies, and health and safety."

The video also highlights historical successes: “Workers in Michigan began a wave that changed America. Battery workers in Ohio, Tennessee, and Indiana have already taken this step and won. Now, it’s our turn.”

Presently, BlueOval SK stands as the sole non-unionized battery plant associated with the Big Three automakers. In contrast, GM’s Ultium facilities in Ohio and Tennessee, along with Stellantis’ StarPlus Energy plant in Indiana, have already secured union contracts backed by the UAW.

UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith remarked, “A supermajority of BOSK workers filed for this election back in January because they were done with broken promises and unsafe working conditions. They were done being left out of decisions that impact their health and their futures. Just like Ford workers in the 30s and 40s, these workers are seeking safer working conditions, the affordable health care they were originally assured, and a voice on the job. They’re ready to get it.”

The state of Kentucky has invested millions in public funds into this facility, and workers argue they deserve the right to select a union freely. It’s a pivotal moment for local legislators who support labor rights to pay attention to BOSK's workers and their resolve.

Despite facing challenges such as alleged illegal firings, retaliations against union supporters, and unauthorized closed-door meetings aiming to intimidate employees, the drive for unionization remains strong. Workers are determined to secure a union and amplify their influence in the workplace.

Full transcript of the newly released UAW video featuring BlueOval SK workers ahead of their union election this month:

[Narrated by several different workers from BlueOvalSK in Glendale]

In 1941, Ford auto workers changed history.

Facing workplace injuries, exhaustion, and deaths on the job, Ford workers took a stand that would echo generations. 

They came together and organized and—as United Auto Workers—won the right to negotiate for all of their working conditions. 

This history is not just a source of pride; it’s a lesson in solidarity to show what’s possible when working class people stand together. 

Today, Kentucky is the center of the battery belt. We’re building the future of the auto industry, and this transformative moment requires the same worker power that guarantees our safety and job security.

Whether in Dearborn, Michigan or Glendale, Kentucky, the technology may differ, but the risks remain the same. 

Wherever corporate greed puts our lives at risk, the fight for a safe workplace binds us together. 

It’s our time to sit across the table for management as equals.

We want a legally binding contract that guarantees our wages, health care, PTO policies, and health and safety. 

Workers in Michigan began a wave that changed America. 

Battery workers in Ohio, Tennessee, and Indiana have already taken this step and won.

Now it’s our turn. 

I’m ready to have a voice at BOSK.

I’m ready to have a voice at BOSK—as United Auto Workers.