William Simpson
After a decisive victory last month in Tennessee, the United Auto Workers are competing to repeat their performance on Friday in Alabama.
Final votes have been cast in the election to determine whether more than 5,000 Mercedes-Benz workers near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, will join the UAW, with the National Labor Relations Board expected to announce the results in the afternoon.
David Johnston, 26, an employee at the Mercedes battery plant in Woodstock, said he hopes the UAW prevails. This would mark another important step for the labor group as it seeks to make inroads in historically union-averse Southern states following a vote by Volkswagen workers last month. join the union.
“I’m very optimistic and expect similar numbers to Volkswagen,” he told CBS MoneyWatch. “We’ve had the same old Mercedes tactics for years, and most of us are ready for some stability and better work-life balance.”
The UAW promised to commit US$40 million by 2026 to expand its reach to more auto and electric vehicle workers, including in southern states where BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Kia and Nissan also have operations.
The UAW has been on the rise since winning major concessions last fall from Ford, General Motors and Chrysler owner Stellantis. The union also recently reached an agreement with truck and bus manufacturer Daimler Truck, avoiding a potential strike of more than 7,000 workers in North Carolina.
“We are a luxury brand and I’m missing my daughter’s first year of growing up,” said Johnston, who is moving to a new job at the Mercedes assembly plant in Vance, a move he said would mark his seventh schedule. . change since starting at the company in August 2022. One role involved working 12 hours a day, seven days a week, he added.
“Red-hot opposition”
Mercedes has undertaken a concerted effort to dissuade workers from unionizing, according to Alabama workers and labor experts. The company also announced that it would eliminate a two-tier pay system that resulted in newer hires receiving substantially lower salaries.
In contrast to Volkswagen, which was less opposed to its workforce’s union drive, “Mercedes is vehemently opposed,” said Harley Shaiken, a labor expert and professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, noting that Mercedes hired a company consulting and coordinated with local political leaders to combat the UAW.
Mercedes is accused of disciplining workers for discussing a union, firing union supporters and forcing employees to attend meetings while making “statements suggesting that union activity is futile,” according to the National Labor Relations Board. The agency is investigating six allegations of unfair labor practices filed by the UAW against the company since March.
Mercedes denies interfering in the union campaign or retaliating against employees.
Mercedes management has won support from Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who on Monday said she signed legislation that revokes tax incentives for companies that voluntarily recognize unions.
“Alabama is not Michigan,” said the Republican counted a function of the Chamber of Commerce in Huntsville. “We want to ensure that Alabama values, not Detroit values, continue to define the future of this great state.”
Officially, Mercedes said it hopes its workers will have the opportunity to vote, “as well as have access to the information necessary to make an informed choice” about unionization.
“We believe that open and direct communication with our team members is the best way to ensure continued success,” Mercedes told CBS MoneyWatch in a statement.
