Via two press releases
Battery Workers at BlueOval SK in Kentucky file for first major union election in the South in 2025
GLENDALE, Ky. — A supermajority of workers at battery maker BlueOval SK filed a petition Tuesday with the National Labor Relations Board for a vote to form their union with the UAW. The election filing at BlueOval SK (BOSK), a new joint venture of Ford and SK On, is the first major filing in the South in 2025 and continues the movement of Southern autoworkers organizing with the UAW.
“We’re forming our union so we can have a say in our safety and our working conditions,” said Halee Hadfield, a quality operator at BOSK. “The chemicals we’re working with can be extremely dangerous. If something goes wrong, a massive explosion can occur. With our union, we can speak up if we see there’s a problem and make sure we’re keeping ourselves and the whole community safe.”
The BOSK workers publicly launched their campaign to join the UAW in November once a supermajority of workers had signed union cards. The company has responded to the campaign by hiring anti-union consultants who are trying to block the workers from organizing.
“What we’re doing here can be transformative, but there are problems with management that we have to fix,” said Angela Conto, a production operator in formation at BOSK. “Instead of listening to our safety concerns, management has been ordering people to work without proper protective equipment. Now they’re trying to stop us from forming our union to win a strong voice for safety. But the strong supermajority of workers who’ve signed union cards show we’re going to fix what’s wrong at BOSK and make it the leading manufacturer of electric vehicle batteries in America.”
In December, the BOSK workers held a town hall in Elizabethtown, Ky., with UAW members from Ultium Cells in Lordstown, Ohio, which makes battery cells for GM’s electric vehicle fleet. Ultium opened as a nonunion plant in 2022, and workers there encountered many of the same problems the BOSK workers face now. An Ultium worker explained how they organized with the UAW and won a union contract with strong safety protections and life-changing raises and benefits.
“I have worked both union and nonunion jobs and have seen the power of a union firsthand,” said Andrew McLean, a logistics worker in formation at BOSK. “Right now, we don’t have a say at BOSK. With a union, we’ll be on a level playing field with management. That’s so important when you’re getting a new plant off the ground. The union allows us to give honest feedback without fear of retaliation.”
The BOSK workers are building on the victories at Ultium in Lordstown, and also at the new Ultium plant in Spring Hill, Tenn., where workers joined the UAW in September. The growing unionization movement among nonunion battery workers across the country, and especially in the South, builds off the success of the UAW’s Stand Up Strike at the Big Three and the victory by Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tenn., who became the first Southern autoworkers outside the Big Three to win their union when they voted to join the UAW in April.
Kentucky’s unions stand in solidarity with BlueOval SK Workers ahead of upcoming union election vote
In response to the announcement that battery workers at BlueOval SK in Kentucky have filed for a union election to join the United Auto Workers (UAW), Kentucky State AFL-CIO President Dustin Reinstedler has released the following statement:
“Kentucky’s labor movement applauds the bravery of BlueOval SK (BOSK) workers who are organizing for the fair wages, benefits, strong safety standards, and voice on the job they deserve. By filing for an election to join the United Auto Workers (UAW), they have taken an important step towards securing a better future for themselves, their families, and their communities.
A strong union contract ensures that corporations setting up shop in our state pay working Kentuckians what they are worth and treat them with dignity. And, as the electric vehicle industry grows, union membership will set an important precedent that the profits generated from these facilities in the South will be shared fairly with the men and women who are at the heart of production.
The Kentucky State AFL-CIO extends our heartfelt congratulations to workers on reaching this huge milestone together. The future of BOSK is union strong. The future of clean energy is union strong. And the future of Kentucky is union strong.”
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