Ford BlueOval SK Joint Venture Working To Block Union Vote

Back in January, workers at the future joint-venture Ford EV battery plant known as BlueOval SK Battery Park in Kentucky officially filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board to join the United Auto Workers (UAW), a move they say stems from concerns revolving around worker health, safety, and a lack of communication. BlueOval SK called the move “premature” based on the fact that most of its workforce hasn’t been hired yet, nor has production begun, and now, it’s also working to block that union vote, or at least delay it.

According to Capital & Main, BlueOval SK has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), arguing that the current number of workers at the plant is too small of a share of the facility’s eventual workforce to seek unionization at this point in time. Since then, the joint-venture has hired LRI Consulting Services to meet with workers, and has paid for advertising that attempts to entice workers to vote no in terms of unionizing. Additionally, workers claim that management has held anti-union meetings as well.

Thus far, the UAW has filed six unfair labor practice complaints with the NLRB itself, claiming that BlueOval SK has “threatened, restrained, and coerced workers,” destroyed union materials found around the facility, threatened to close the plant, and fired workers who show support for the union.

As Ford Authority previously reported, BlueOval SK workers that support joining the UAW are doing so for a few reasons. They claim that BlueOval SK management has thus far ignored worker concerns pertaining to safety, and have concerns about being exposed to fire, electrical, and chemical hazards, as well as mold, which became a problem at the site last year. Additionally, BlueOval SK workers are concerned about the fact that they reportedly make less money than employees at other Ford plants in the state.