A major milestone for electric vehicle (EV) battery workers unfolded on Wednesday, Nov. 20 as a supermajority of employees at BlueOval SK (BOSK) in Glendale, KY signed union authorization cards, officially launching their campaign to join the United Auto Workers (UAW). BOSK, a joint venture between Ford and SK On, is at the forefront of the rapidly growing EV battery industry in Kentucky, and this move signifies a significant push for better working conditions for workers across the plant.
Chad Johnson, who works in Quality PQC, which does inspections at the end of the line before products get shipped out, spoke with LEO Weekly over the phone to share his insight as to why so many workers chose to unionize.
“I was in the UAW with the previous employer, so I know how well the UAW takes care of its people and what all good they stand for,” he said. “Without them, you’re at the mercy of the company.”
Johnson said that yesterday morning on Nov. 20, he and dozens of other workers stood outside the building handing out flyers to other workers, no matter if they already signed their union cards.
He added that as they handed out cards, they could see supervisors in the window staring at those handing out flyers, giving more information to workers who may be on the fence about joining UAW.
And as more workers join, Johnson says workers as BOSK will get more bargaining power to work with as they push to join UAW, making conditions much safer than they are now.
“What I had at UAW before is we knew what was and what wasn’t without it changing on an hourly, daily, weekly basis,” he said in the interview with LEO. “We had a legally binding contract that set forth what can be done, what can’t be done, and we followed it. But the company also had to follow it. So here, it’s pretty one-sided. It’s the reason that me and my co-workers kind of got together and formed this.”
Rallying support to join UAW
The campaign’s launch is highlighted in a video featuring BOSK workers advocating for unionization, asserting that “battery workers are autoworkers” deserving the same safe and fair working conditions achieved by UAW members in the auto industry.
BOSK workers like Johnson aim to build on the success of their peers at Ultium Cells, a joint venture powering General Motors’ EV fleet. UAW members at Ultium’s Ohio plant secured a contract in June that aligned their pay and benefits with those of unionized GM employees. Similarly, Ultium’s Spring Hill, Tennessee, workers formed their union in September and are preparing to negotiate their contract.
Johnson said the success at these plants were important to give BOSK’s workers ideas on how to unionize efficiently and effectively.
“Ultium has been huge,” he said. “We’ve studied that whole process with them in Lordsville, Ohio and in Spring Hill, Tennessee. We’ve watched that real closely. We’ve learned some stuff from it. They ended up with an excellent contract. That was definitely inspiring. We actually have used it in some of our trainings.”
Safety first
Johnson said that one of the main reasons he wanted to join UAW through BOSK was for more safety for himself and for his coworkers at the plant.
“Well, first off, for me, a lot of people will say the money and the benefits, of course, but for me, it’s the safety aspect of it,” he said. “I mean, they’re making people unload tanker trucks full of carcinogenic chemicals, not even a fitted respirator. We’ve got active construction going on all around us as to where we’ve had a co-worker get tripped up over some scaffolding, break a pelvis.”
With little being done to keep workers safe, Johnson added that workers have gotten little to no help from BOSK to keep them safe while they’re on the floor generating millions in revenue for the company.
“I just hope that it sends the message that you don’t let these billionaire companies push you around, cheat you out of things you deserve, cheat you out of a fair lifestyle of bringing your family up comfortably just so they can get richer and have their way with everything,” Johnson said. “To me, that’s what it boils down to is that it’s a bunch of billionaires, money-hungry billionaires, trying to get richer off the backs of other people. They need to pay for that right. They need to pay for that right through benefits, through pay, through safety, making sure we’re safe.”
Currently, BOSK workers face starting wages of $21 per hour—well below the $26.32 hourly rate for UAW members at Ford, which climbs to over $42 after three years. Unionization, workers like Johnson argue, is crucial to closing the gap and achieving equitable standards.
The movement among BOSK workers reflects a broader shift in the EV battery sector. With nearly 90,000 jobs tied to over $100 billion in investments announced over the last decade, workers across the South are organizing for better pay and safety measures. Inspired by the UAW’s Stand Up Strike victories at the Big Three automakers, BOSK employees hope to set a precedent for the region’s nonunionized workforce and beyond.
This article appears in Nov 20 – Dec 3, 2024.
