LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Workers at a battery maker manufacturer in Glendale, Kentucky, filed for a major union election.Â
According to a news release Wednesday, a supermajority of workers at BlueOval SK filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board for a vote to form their union with the UAW. It's the first major filing in the south in 2025.
"We're forming our union so we can have a say in our safety and our working conditions," Halee Hadfield, a quality operator at BOSK, said in a news release. "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."Â Â
Workers publicly launched a campaign to join UAW in November once a supermajority of workers had signed union cards.
"What we're doing here can be transformative, but there are problems with management that we have to fix," Angela Conto, a production operator in formation, said in a news release. "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 2022, as the EV battery factories began rising near Interstate 65 in Hardin County, the commonwealth cut checks totaling $250 million to BlueOval SK, Ford's joint venture with Korean partner SK On.
The zero-interest, forgivable loan was the centerpiece of an incentive package offered by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and the state's GOP-led legislature to secure the 5,000-job investment for the Bluegrass State.
The target of the plant is 2,500 jobs, a number that is planned to speed up to 5,000 by 2030.
More BlueOval SK Coverage:
- Beshear, community leaders officially open employee training center for Ford EV plant in Hardin County
- Despite delay, BlueOval SK has plenty of time to meet terms of Kentucky deal
- KYTC proposes 3 options for new bypass in Glendale near BlueOval SK plant
- Downtown Elizabethtown facing parking challenges amid growth, BlueOval SK plant expansion
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