Workers at the nearly $6 billion BlueOval SK Battery Park in Hardin County have launched a campaign to join the United Auto Workers Union.
A news release from the UAW says a super majority of employees have signed authorization cards to unionize for better pay and working conditions.
Some of those workers are featured in a YouTube video announcing the campaign.
The battery campus off Interstate 65 is a partnership between Ford Motor Co. and South Korea-based SK On.
According to the UAW, hourly pay for BlueOval SK workers currently starts at $21 an hour, while production workers at other Ford plants that are unionized start at more than $26 an hour. Workers in the video also raised concerns about working with hazardous chemicals at the plants.
Earlier this year, Gov. Andy Beshear said workers at the Glendale plants wouldn't be part of a union, citing an agreement between Ford and the UAW. During a news conference on Thursday, Gov. Beshear responded to questions about what has changed since that agreement between the two sides.
"It did start out non-union. It's not unionized at the moment and they have 750 employees. That doesn't prevent the normal process, which is going on here of potential unionization," Beshear said. "I am a pro-union governor and always will be. My hope is the companies that are involved will stay neutral and let this be a true decision of the employees."
The Glendale workers hope to build on the unionization victories of other battery employees across the country.
In June, UAW members at Ultium in Lordstown, Ohio, won a contract with the same standards that UAW members have at all General Motors facilities. In September, workers at Ultium’s new plant in Spring Hill, Tenn., formed their union and are now preparing to negotiate their union contract.
Signing authorization cards is only the first step in making Glendale campus a unionized workplace. Ford can voluntarily recognize the union, or the UAW can request an election with the National Labor Relations Board.
Beshear announced last week that BlueOval SK has hired about 1,100 total workers.
One of the electric vehicle battery plants is scheduled to start production next year, while the second plant is on hold due to sluggish demand for EVs.
However, BlueOval SK has until 2030 to reach the full 5,000 workforce target for the battery campus.
