UAW claims win at BlueOval SK Kentucky plant as NLRB weighs ballots

Ballots were being counted Wednesday in a closely watched union election at BlueOval SK, a Kentucky battery plant partly owned by Ford Motor Co. and SK On, with organizers reporting a narrow United Auto Workers victory while the National Labor Relations Board weighs the validity of contested ballots that could change the outcome.

Workers at the Glendale complex, about an hour south of Louisville, cast votes over two days that concluded roughly a week after the plant began limited battery production. The plant, part of a roughly $5.8 billion investment, will supply batteries for the all electric Ford F-150 Lightning pickup and the E-Transit cargo van. Initial tallies reported 526 votes for union representation and 515 against, while 41 ballots are under challenge.

The election pits a union push to expand its reach in the South against a company campaign to maintain a direct relationship with employees. Prounion workers cited pay, benefits and safety as chief concerns. "My bills are guaranteed, so my pay and benefits should be guaranteed, too," employee Kumari Logan said in comments distributed by the union. "Right now they can just change things whenever they feel like it, and...