Workers at Hardin County battery plant vote in favor of unionizing with UAW

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The roughly 1,200 workers at Hardin County's BlueOval SK battery plant have voted in favor of unionizing under the United Auto Workers.

Production started at the Glendale plant last week, but talks of unionizing had been ongoing for nearly a year. In January, workers filed for a major union election with the National Labor Relations Board.

"Tonight, BlueOval SK workers won a majority of votes in an NLRB election to unionize their plant in Glendale, Kentucky, securing a hard-fought victory," the UAW said in a statement Wednesday night, calling the vote a "major step forward for workers who stood up against intense company opposition and chose to join the UAW."

Officials said there were 526 yes votes and 515 no votes. There are also 41 challenge ballots still outstanding" that they believe to be "illegitimate and represent nothing more than an employer tactic to flood the unit and undermine the outcome." The UAW said it would fight the challenged ballots, which it said are "not part of the group of workers who built their union from the bottom up."

Mallory Cookie, Senior Communications Manager for BlueOval SK, said in a statement, "BlueOval SK will urge the Board to count each eligible vote because every voice matters. We remain focused on the safety and wellbeing of our team and our commitment to build best-in-class batteries together!"

As of this writing, Ford has not issued a statement regarding the outcome of the vote.

Prior to the voting period opening Tuesday, a supermajority of employees had already signed union cards, citing safety concerns and lower wages than unionized workers at Ford. Batteries from the plant will power the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning.

BlueOval employees have filed numerous safety complaints, and the state has launched 13 investigations at the plant. So far, only one violation was issued — against the general contractor, Barton Malow. The company was initially fined $6,700, but that was later lowered to $1,000.

The company maintains safety is its top priority, and CEO Michael Adams said unionizing isn't the answer.

The stakes were high for the workers, for Ford and for Kentucky's place in the auto industry. BlueOval SK called the vote premature, but the UAW said it's long overdue. Either way, the decision could determine how the next generation of auto jobs are built in Kentucky and beyond.

BlueOval SK is a joint venture between Ford and South Korean conglomerate SK On. Union officials said several other joint-venture plants are already unionized, but Adams said he believes in more direct communication between the company and employees.

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