There is going to be a fierce battle to organize these workers by the UAW and I would be surprised if the Ford Motor Company is being secretive of its support for the UAW because they fear any backlash by area politicians which I am sure lobbied hard for the plants construction in their states.

Ford announced its commitment to its line of electric vehicles in an $11 billion partnership-with South Korean battery maker SK Innovation. Ford’s portion of the agreement, $7 billion which is slightly less than a quarter of the total $30 billion it has pledged to spend in transitioning its fleet to electric by 2025

It’s unclear to me how how much more investment SK innovation has committed to invest and who will be the majority partner which might also be a factor in Fords lack of a commitment to the UAW. .

The venture with is called BlueOvalSK. One thing is clear is that SK innovation is bringing the technology to the table, SK Innovation has grown its LiBS business significantly which is a key component in lithium-ion batteries and emerged as the world’s 2nd largest wet separator producer. The company also has a strong presence in the global market with its LiBS plants in Jeungpyeong of Chungbuk in Korea and Changzhou,China.

Ford said It will agree to “card check” sign-up efforts, which let unions recruit workers to sign cards saying they want to be represented. Once 51% of workers sign on, the plant becomes union immediately. If the UAW is successful in organizing these new plants it will change union density throughout the south.

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