The auto plant is the time in a southern state to ask the hard labor board to hold union elections to register with the United Auto Workers Union.
Mercedes-Benz staff in Vance, Alabama, voted to hold elections to register with the United Auto Workers (UAW), the second auto plant in a Southern state to adopt such a vote last month.
A large majority of more than 5,000 people at the plant petitioned the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to hold elections. Volkswagen’s staff in Tennessee made the same resolution last month and will vote on joining the UAW later this month.
The UAW has long fought to organize in the southern auto plants. The new wave of votes comes after the UAW won historic concessions from the big three U. S. automakers following a strike last year.
“We voted for safer jobs at Mercedes,” said Moesha Chandler, a member of the Mercedes plant meeting team. “I’m still young, but I already have serious disorders in my shoulders and hands. When you’re still in your 20s and your frame is crumbling, it’s not right. By winning our union, we will have the strength to make paints safer and more sustainable.
Jacob Ryan, a member of the Mercedes factory team, argued that he wants the union because of issues such as forced Saturday shifts and unfair schedules.
“At the moment, the company continues to lose workers because it forces them to work on Saturdays at the last minute, to accept schedules that disrupt their family life. And the only choice others have is to accept it or stop,” Ryan said. “Together with the union, we will have a voice for a fair work schedule that keeps Mercedes staffed. “
Workers expect the NLRB to set a date for union elections in early May.
The unionization efforts have drawn significant opposition from some Southern Republican elected officials, including Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, business teams and automakers.
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After the Newsletter
Earlier this week, the UAW filed an unfair hard-working-practices complaint against Mercedes-Benz in the U. S. The U. S. and Germany have been sued over accusations of anti-union struggles. The allegations are accompanied by allegations of retaliatory termination of an employee with level four cancer. Mercedes-Benz has denied the allegations.