Workers at BlueOval SK, a joint venture battery plant between Ford Motor Company and SK On in Glendale, Kentucky, are preparing for a union election scheduled for August 26 and 27. The United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) released a new video highlighting the workers’ efforts to gain a stronger voice on the job, focusing on issues such as health and safety.
The video draws parallels between the current campaign at BlueOval SK and historical labor movements at Ford plants nearly a century ago. Several BOSK workers narrate in the video: “It’s our time to sit across the table from management as equals. We want a legally binding contract that guarantees our wages, health care, PTO policies, and health and safety.”
They continue: “Workers in Michigan began a wave that changed America. Battery workers in Ohio, Tennessee, and Indiana have already taken this step and won. Now, it’s our turn.”
BlueOval SK is currently the only battery plant involving Ford, General Motors (GM), or Stellantis that is not unionized. GM’s Ultium plants in Ohio and Tennessee operate under UAW contracts, while Stellantis’ StarPlus Energy plant in Indiana ratified its local agreement earlier this year.
UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith commented on the significance of the upcoming vote: “A supermajority of BOSK workers filed for this election back in January because they were done with broken promises and unsafe working conditions. They were done being left out of decisions that impact their health and their futures,” Smith said. “Just like Ford workers in the 30s and 40s, these workers are seeking safer working conditions, the affordable health care they were originally assured, and a voice on the job. They’re ready to get it.”
Kentucky has invested millions of public dollars into BlueOval SK’s operations. Some workers have expressed that these investments make it important for them to have an opportunity to choose union representation.
The company has faced allegations of illegally firing union supporters and holding closed-door meetings aimed at intimidating employees ahead of the vote. Despite these actions, BOSK workers remain determined to proceed with their election.
The full transcript of the UAW-released video features several BlueOval SK employees who reflect on past labor struggles while emphasizing their resolve for change today:
“In 1941, Ford auto workers changed history.
Facing workplace injuries, exhaustion, and deaths on the job, Ford workers took a stand that would echo generations.
They came together and organized and—as United Auto Workers—won the right to negotiate for all of their working conditions.
This history is not just a source of pride; it’s a lesson in solidarity to show what’s possible when working class people stand together.
Today, Kentucky is the center of the battery belt. We’re building the future of the auto industry, and this transformative moment requires the same worker power that guarantees our safety and job security.
Whether in Dearborn, Michigan or Glendale, Kentucky, the technology may differ, but the risks remain the same.
Wherever corporate greed puts our lives at risk, the fight for a safe workplace binds us together.
It’s our time to sit across the table for management as equals.
We want a legally binding contract that guarantees our wages, health care, PTO policies, and health and safety.
Workers in Michigan began a wave that changed America.
Battery workers in Ohio, Tennessee, and Indiana have already taken this step and won.
Now it’s our turn.
I’m ready to have a voice at BOSK.
I’m ready to have a voice at BOSK—as United Auto Workers.”
