The electric vehicle industry in the Southeast is growing rapidly, with increased sales, charging stations and manufacturing. 

Buoyed by notable victories in the last couple of years, the United Auto Workers union is revving up efforts to organize the EV and battery sector in the South.  One target is a sprawling campus in rural Kentucky that, once completed, will be one of the largest EV battery plants in the world.

A supermajority of workers at BlueOval SK has asked the National Labor Relations Board for a vote on joining the United Auto Workers. The nearly $6 billion electric vehicle battery campus in Glendale, Kentucky, is part of a joint venture between Ford and South Korea’s SK On. 

It’s not up and running yet, but early hires say they’re exposed to hazards on the job, including formation production operator Alisha Miller. 

“We have actually had cells catch fire,” Miller said. “You’d think a plant as large as this, we would have some sort of fire drill. We don’t even know where the emergency exits are.”

That’s why workers are trying to unionize. BlueOval SK declined an interview, but said in a statement that its safety protocols are robust, consistent and meet stringent industry and federal standards. And the company said a union election is premature — most workers aren’t hired yet. 

But with the growth in the EV and battery industry in this region, manufacturers will likely see more workers organize. There are a couple of other huge plants under construction in Tennessee and Georgia. 

Labor economist Steven Allen from North Carolina State University said 2023 was successful for the UAW. It secured lucrative contracts with Ford, GM and Stellantis.

“That was, I think, a really big win, and this was at a time of still pretty high inflation, and so I think that gave the UAW a bit of an edge,” explained Allen.

And now the UAW is trying to expand its foothold in Southern plants.  

“I think in general they’re being built in locations where there’s a dearth of manufacturing jobs and where they think they can get a pretty strong labor force. They’re not putting these plants in Detroit or Chicago.”

Formation production operator Bill Wilmoth said he was proud to be hired as a pioneer in the EV industry. 

“’Electrifying the future.’ It’s one of our company’s taglines. It’s aspirational, isn’t it?” Wilmoth said. “This is an interesting industry to be a part of. I was so happy to be hired on here.” 

But he also wants to feel safe coming to work every day and be paid well. If he and other workers vote in favor of the union, the next step is negotiating a contract for what will become the 10th-largest manufacturing site in the world.