Union election results at a new electric vehicle battery plant in Kentucky remain uncertain after several disputed ballots emerged that could influence the outcome. The vote took place at BlueOval SK, a huge battery factory run by Ford and its South Korean partner SK On, located in Glendale, Kentucky. This plant will supply batteries for Ford’s all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup and the E-Transit van.
The United Auto Workers (UAW) claim they won narrowly, with 526 votes for union representation against 515 opposed. However, 41 challenged ballots have not yet been counted because their eligibility is in question. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which oversees the election, said these ballots could change the final result and will review whether to include them.
The UAW argued that these challenged ballots are “illegitimate” and described them as a tactic by the company to interfere with workers’ choices. The union said those voters come from a different group of workers and should have their own separate union, rather than being part of this vote. Meanwhile, the company urged the NLRB to count every eligible vote, saying “every voice matters.”
The election is significant for the UAW as they try to strengthen their presence in the South, where union support has traditionally been weaker. Despite this, the union has made gains recently, including wins at battery plants and auto factories nearby in Tennessee and Ohio.
Kentucky’s Governor Andy Beshear supports unions and highlighted the battery plant as the state’s biggest economic investment ever. He believes that having a unionized workforce could help attract more workers to the facility over time.
The disputed ballots might include safety emergency response staff whose voting rights were not clearly established before the election. Safety itself was a key issue during the campaign, with the company emphasizing that worker safety remains a top priority.
This vote comes at a time when the electric vehicle industry is growing quickly across the U.S., with automakers investing billions to build batteries domestically. Ford recently announced plans to spend nearly $2 billion to retool another Kentucky plant for electric vehicle production.
The NLRB’s decision on the challenged ballots will be closely watched. It will determine if the UAW’s narrow lead holds or if the outcome shifts, marking an important moment for labor in the changing auto industry.