ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. — Several workers at the BlueOval SK battery plant in Hardin County voted to form a union and join the United Auto Workers.

The battery workers filed the petition earlier this week with the National Labor Relations Board.

What You Need To Know

  • Several workers at the BlueOval SK battery plant in Hardin County voted to form a union and join the United Auto Workers

  • The battery workers filed the petition earlier this week with the National Labor Relations Board
  • In response, BlueOval SK said this decision is happening too soon

  • Unions around Kentucky released a statement, saying they support BlueOval SK workers in their union election vote

There’s a possibility that a new union could form in Elizabethtown soon.

"We started; there was a small group that started," said Chad Johnson, who works in quality control. "It's just kind of snowballed from there. We have a supermajority majority, in the plant now, that has already signed cards." 

A supermajority filed a petition Tuesday, Jan. 7, with the National Labor Relations Board.

"I want my coworkers to be able to know that they're coming in to a place it's safe to work, they're going to go home in the same condition that they came in and they're going to be able to provide for their families," said Johnson, 51. 

They launched their campaign to join the UAW in Nov. 2024 once most workers had signed union cards.

They said they're forming a union with collective bargaining rights to negotiate with blue management over pay raises, health care coverage, more paid time off and plant safety.

In response, BlueOval SK said this decision is happening too soon.

"Most of the team who will work at BlueOval SK Battery Park have not yet been hired," BlueOval SK said. "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. 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.”

Ultimately, for Johnson, this is about safety.

"I mean, a lot of people think that this is about money and greed," Johnson said. "This has nothing to do with that. This has everything in the world for us to do with safety. It's why we're filing to join the UAW because we feel like a lot of our concerns are falling on deaf ears." 

Unions around Kentucky released a statement, saying they support BlueOval SK workers in their union election vote.

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