(LEX 18) — Gov. Andy Beshear confirmed that the twin electric vehicle battery plants being built in Glendale will not have union jobs.
"When the Ford SK plants open, that won't be union labor because of an agreement reached between Ford and the UAW, between CEO Farley and Shawn Fain, and we respect those agreements and their negotiations," said Beshear on Face the Nation this past weekend.
Beshear explained that the agreement reached between Ford and the United Automobile Workers Union ensured better lives for many other UAW workers in Kentucky.
"What it did mean is that 10,000 plus UAW workers in Ford's two other facilities in Kentucky got better wages, better benefits, a better life for their families," said Beshear. "So, we're excited about how the union and the company were able to come together to reach an agreement that works for everybody. And that's what we want to see, right? We want to see companies continue to invest because we need them, but we want them to be good jobs that support our families. And I think that's the outcome we got here."
Beshear also emphasized that the facilities are being built with union labor.
"Thousands upon thousands of jobs over the course of that construction, which has taken years."
