An Interview with A Worker at BlueOval SK
The Louisville Workers Brigade
3/14/2025
For the last few years, Glendale, Kentucky, has been the site of the construction of the electric vehicle battery plant BlueOval SK, a joint venture between one of the Big Three American car manufacturers, Ford, and the South Korean electric vehicle battery company SK On. The work involved in the creation of electric vehicle batteries is incredibly dangerous, with workers required to handle chemicals and contend with toxic fumes, making worker safety a primary concern for the workers. Given the propensity for companies to disregard the safety of its workers in exchange for higher profits and based on recent actions by BlueOval SK management, it’s no surprise then that despite BlueOval SK not set to start production until sometime in the first quarter of 2025, the workers at the company are taking a stand: in November 2024, the workers made their intent to unionize public by filing for an election to organize with the UAW.
The date for this election has yet to be set by the NLRB, which has been intentionally complicated by the company trying every which way to delay the election. Nonetheless, this hasn’t dampened the mood of the workers who continue to hold strong against the company's union-busting campaign and continue to demand an election be held.
The Brigade had the opportunity to interview a worker at BlueOval SK, Robert Collett. We are incredibly grateful to Robert for giving us a closer look at the conditions BlueOval SK workers find themselves in and for him doing everything he can to build a union with his fellow workers. We wish the workers the best and we look forward to the day that they are able to hold their election and secure the union they deserve!
Can you tell us a bit about the work of BlueOval SK? What is your job at the company, and what does it entail? What are some unique obstacles that workers in your position face?
The work we do at blue oval SK in a nutshell is going to be to produce the best lithium ion batteries available on the market, what that entails, they are very thin lip about the process. We had to sign an NDA before we accepted the job. None of us thought it would be good for us to talk about the dangers involved with our process or the job itself so I can't talk about it, but there are plenty of YouTube videos that show processes involving lithium ion and the dangers involved with working with it so I can't tell you, but Google can.
I believe I have one of the most unique stories out of the plant so far as far as obstacles that workers face. On September 13 of 2024 I was involved with a workplace accident where I fell over the construction crew's scaffolding, and ended up fracturing my hip as I was making my way to the break area. It's been a very long and painful process to get myself back in working condition and, as far as the company was concerned, they pretty much cut me off while I was on workers comp; no contact whatsoever, except for when I was turning in medical paperwork to the human resources. No one even checked on me as far as the corporate side at Blue Oval SK.
What are the typical workplace conditions of workers at BlueOval SK? What are some of the biggest grievances that the workers had prior to signing their union cards? How did the workers address these issues before taking the step to unionize? How did this experience drive you and your fellow workers to organize a union?
The conditions at Blue Oval SK have changed dramatically since my accident back then, we were working around live construction and huge crews of construction workers. Now most of them are gone. We have big teams from Korea in the plant getting machinery ready for production. It's very quiet in the plant. It's very depressing. The people look very sad. It's a monster of a building and it's a long walk to get anywhere, so even on your breaks, you're on your feet the whole time if you smoke cigarettes. For the first month of my return, I pushed the dust mop around for 10 hours, the same spots over and over, making sure to show value for my employment. We've been told that we must show value, most of the production operators thought our value came in the résumé of years of experience, working in manufacturing at other facilities. People left jobs with 10 and 20 years of seniority because we were excited about the new opportunities promised at this place, only to be told to clean up after construction crews in dangerous conditions, and that if you were not on your feet doing your job, you were not showing value.
Most of the grievances that started the process of unionization were coming from bosses who were being bullies when we were first hired on. We were stored in a middle school that was rented out by Blue Oval SK in Glendale, Kentucky. There was no order, there was no written rule, and bosses were talking recklessly to people. They would let us sit all day, but if you put your head down a few of them would come in and smack the table like we were really in school again, but there was absolutely nothing going on and the training they were giving us was meaningless because nothing was ready. None of the jobs. None of the machines, nothing.
The workers at Blue Oval SK would try to address problems in the typical way we would address them with management, but like I said, most of the time we were ignored and even lied to. They would have town halls and big speeches about how much they cared, but yet they marched us into dangerous conditions every day in a building that was still being built around us.
Now the problem is the job itself. The chemicals we use are very dangerous. The process we do is very dangerous. We are going into machinery that is not locked out and tagged out, but they came up with a new process, so the machinery is fully energized, and there are sections where your whole body is in the box with the moving machinery right next to you in the next box.
How has the company responded to your efforts to unionize? How have the recent actions taken by the President with the NLRB impacted the struggle between the workers and the company?
Blue Oval SK responded to the employees wanting to unionize in typical corporate fashion: big expensive meetings from CEOs and management that always seem to include the vote “no” speech, somehow tied into it. They hired a company called the National Labor Relations Institute that came to our company while I was out with a broken hip and posed as the NLRB, giving out false information to employees who did not know any better. They thought they were talking to the NLRB, but it was a union busting company.
The recent actions by the president seemed to make a very negative impact with the NLRB slowing things down even more than we expected, making the weight even harder, making the day even longer, having to tell other employees that it's coming. We just don't know as this is a very hard thing we built up so much hope with actual facts and information, that it causes a restlessness that we don't need for a job that we're working very hard to keep, that pays enough to keep us in poverty.
What can working people do to assist you all with your struggle?
What working people can do to help in our struggle is super easy…. Support with likes shares and comments on our social media pages to help spread the word, all the way to writing petitions to the governor who funded this huge project, notifying him of safety concerns, not only to the people who are working in the facility but the surrounding areas because if this place just so happens to go up it’s probably gonna take Glendale with it. Keep your self’s armed with facts and truth, it always shines at the end….
Is there anything you want to share with our readers? Any wisdom or advice you have for unorganized workers everywhere struggling to organize a union or who may be too terrified or skeptical to organize a union?
I think the most important thing if I could share anything with anyone reading this who's interested in a union job or starting a union is to make sure you go to your meetings. And if you're thinking about starting a union, it's very easy, all it takes is a few employees who are tired of getting walked on to come together and make a phone call. Call any union hall and ask for help; if it's the wrong hall, they'll point you in the right direction.