Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Late Wednesday night, the UAW announced workers at the BlueOval SK Battery Park in Kentucky won their election to join the union. The UAW released the following statement after the victory:

“BlueOval SK workers won a majority of votes in an NLRB election to unionize their plant in Glendale, Kentucky, securing a hard-fought victory. This is a major step forward for workers who stood up against intense company opposition and chose to join the UAW.

“There are 41 challenge ballots still outstanding. We believe they are illegitimate and represent nothing more than an employer tactic to flood the unit and undermine the outcome. We will fight these challenges to defend the democratic choices of these workers, as we always do when corporations try to interfere with workers’ democratic choice. The challenged ballots are not part of the group of workers who built their union from the bottom up. They deserve to have their own union, in an appropriate bargaining unit with a representative of their own choosing.

“The UAW is calling on Ford to acknowledge the democratic decision of its workforce. They should immediately drop their anti-democratic effort to undermine the outcome of the election and recognize a majority of BlueOval SK’s production and maintenance employees have chosen to join the UAW and ensure battery jobs in Kentucky are good, safe, union jobs.”

Tags: Organizing

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

In response to the Trump administration’s attacks on federal workers across agencies, park rangers, educators, researchers, first responders, and other staff in Yosemite and Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks have voted overwhelmingly to join the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM).

Across the parks, more than 97% of ballots cast were in favor of joining NFFE-IAM. The votes were certified by the Federal Labor Relations Authority on Monday. This powerful display of unity comes in the wake of steep staffing cuts and broader efforts from the White House to undermine the collective bargaining agreements of federal workers.

“We just want to be protected from this administration,” said an anonymous Yosemite worker who helped with the organizing effort.

“It comes as no surprise workers in the National Park Service are overwhelmingly in favor of unionizing, as federal employees across the country have been faced with reductions in force, threats to workplace protections, and slashed agency budgets under this administration,” said NFFE-IAM National President Randy Erwin. “NFFE will be taking every step possible to increase both staffing and resources, and to defend employees from actions that threaten their rights and the incredible work they do stewarding our public lands. I look forward to working with the dedicated men and women who carry out the important mission of maintaining Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks.”