GLENDALE, Ky. — A supermajority of workers at the upcoming BlueOval SK battery plant have signed union authorization cards and launched a public campaign to join the United Auto Workers, the union said. 

Workers in a video announcing their launch say they are “standing up for good, safe, union jobs,” citing low pay and safety concerns such as working with chemicals as reasons behind their campaign. They explain “battery workers are autoworkers.” 

UAW said the workers are building on victories of battery workers at Ultium Cells in Ohio and Tennessee, the joint venture that makes batteries for General Motors’ electric vehicle fleet. Members of the Ohio-based plant won a contract in June UAW said, while workers of the Tennessee plant formed their union in September and are preparing to negotiate a contract. 

BlueOval SK is a joint venture of Ford and SK On. UAW said because BlueOval SK is a nonunion facility, its workers have pay, benefit and safety standards “weaker than those of UAW members at Ford.” Starting pay for production workers is just $21 an hour, the union said, while UAW production workers at Ford start at $26.32 and after three years over $42 an hour. 

Spectrum News 1 reached out to BlueOval SK. Human resources director, Neva Burke said, “We want to maintain a direct relationship with our employees.”

The union added BlueOval SK workers are coming together to ensure they achieve UAW autoworkers standards 

The move comes just one year after over strikes led by the UAW shut down plants across the country, including Ford’s largest factory in the U.S. at Louisville’s truck plant. Nearly 9,000 workers joined the picket lines, pushing for better pay and benefits for workers..

Production at the nearly $6 billion plant is expected to begin in 2025. Once open, it is expected to bring around 5,000 jobs to Kentucky’s workforce, the largest single investment in state history.