In a closely watched vote, workers at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, have decided against union representation by the United Auto Workers (UAW).
The vote, which concluded on May 17, saw 2,045 workers (44 percent) voting in favor of the union and 2,642 (56 percent) voting against it. This vote marks a significant setback in the ongoing efforts to organize automotive workers in the southern United States.
“These courageous workers at Mercedes reached out to the UAW because they wanted justice,“ UAW President Shawn Fein said in a statement following the vote. ”They led us. And they lead us. What happens next is up to them. Justice isn’t about one vote or one campaign. It’s about getting a voice, getting your fair share.”
Mr. Fain said workers did receive some positive outcomes as a result of the campaign, including higher wages, ending wage tiers, and replacing an unpopular CEO.
Before the vote, the UAW filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board, claiming Mercedes-Benz Group AG had violated Germany’s new law on global supply chain practices and undertook an “aggressive anti-union campaign against U.S. autoworkers in Alabama.”
The UAW at the time said the efforts by Mercedes-Benz were “a clear human rights violation under the German Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains,” adding the company could face billions of dollars in penalties.
The UAW insisted that a supermajority of Mercedes-Benz U.S. International (MBUSI) workers expressed support for the union leading up to the vote.
The day before the vote tally, a statement by UAW noted workers were “confident that they will win their union when ballots are tallied” and become “the second Southern auto plant to vote to join the UAW in less than 30 days, and the second of dozens of non-union auto plants that are actively organizing across the country.”
Investigations of Unfair Labor Practices
The vote came amid heightened scrutiny of Mercedes-Benz’s labor practices at the Alabama plant. The German government has launched an investigation into Mercedes-Benz Group AG for alleged violations of workers’ rights at the Vance, Alabama, facility, the UAW said earlier this week.The Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control in Germany announced the formal investigation recently, focusing on claims of illegal anti-union conduct by the company.
In the lead-up to the vote, the UAW accused MBUSI, a subsidiary of the German automotive giant, of engaging in a campaign of intimidation against pro-union workers. The UAW’s statement detailed several alleged incidents, including threats, dismissals, and attempts to undermine union activities.
Jeremy Kimbrell, an employee at the plant since 1999, voiced the workers’ frustrations, stating: “Autoworkers in Alabama should have the same rights and be treated with the same respect as autoworkers in Germany. My coworkers and I are grateful to the German government for taking our testimonies and the evidence we have provided seriously and taking the first steps to hold the lawless, reckless Mercedes managers in Alabama accountable for their action.”
The Epoch Times reached out to MBUSI for comment on these allegations but did not receive a reply by press time.
The governors of six southern states, including Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, wrote a letter opposing the unionization movement in their states prior to the Chattanooga vote in April.
“We the Governors of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas are highly concerned about the unionization campaign driven by misinformation and scare tactics that the UAW has brought into our states,” the governors said in their joint statement. “As Governors, we have a responsibility to our constituents to speak up when we see special interests looking to come into our state and threaten our jobs and the values we live by.”
Paul Glover, an attorney with experience in union organizing, told The Epoch Times after the Volkswagen vote that the Chattanooga success was an “epic win” that pierced a decades-long barrier against unionization south of the Mason-Dixon Line, saying at the time he was hopeful for the vote in Alabama, which has now failed.
At the time, Mr. Glover told The Epoch Times that he remained optimistic about the union’s ability to replicate its success, using Chattanooga as a stepping stone and a model for further organizing efforts across the South and beyond.
Part of the success in Chattanooga, he said, could be attributed to the aggressive leadership of UAW’s new president, Shawn Fain, which had revitalized the union’s approach.
The UAW said it is working to organize at a Hyundai plant in Montgomery, Alabama, and a Toyota plant in Troy, Missouri.
The Epoch Times reached out to the UAW and Mercedes-Benz for comment on the vote but received no reply by press time.
