Employees of BlueOval SK have formally requested to vote on joining the United Auto Workers. In a video from the UAW, Quality Operator Halee Hadfield said employees need a say in their working conditions.
“The things we’re messing with in here, if something goes wrong, a massive explosion will occur, and that won’t hurt just one person, it’ll hurt a lot of people," Hadfield said.
The Glendale EV workers launched a campaign to join the UAW in November, and the company responded the following month by offering higher starting pay.
In a statement, the company said filing the petition with the NLRB is premature.
"Most of the team who will work at BlueOval SK Battery Park have not yet been hired. They, too, deserve to have their voices heard. And none of our Team Members have had the opportunity to see how our plant will operate since we have not yet begun production," said spokeswoman Mallory Cooke in a statement to WKU Public Radio. "The UAW is trying to rush BlueOval SK into unionization before our full workforce has the opportunity to make a truly free and informed choice.
A union vote could take place as early as this spring, marking the first major union election in the American South this year. Union supporters at BlueOval SK hope to build on a victory by Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 2024.
Once fully operational, workers will produce batteries for Ford and Lincoln electric vehicles, making rural Glendale the world's largest EV battery manufacturing site.
“I have worked both union and nonunion jobs and have seen the power of a union firsthand,” said logistics worker Andrew McLean in a news release from the UAW. "With a union, we’ll be on a level playing field with management. The union allows us to give honest feedback without fear of retaliation.”
Workers have voiced concerns about mold and safety equipment at BlueOval SK's first battery plant which is on track to open this year. The second plant is indefinitely on hold due to soft EV demand.
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