A Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama will not be joining the United Auto Workers union after a Friday vote.
About 5,000 workers at a facility in Tuscaloosa rejected the proposal 2642 to 2045. The National Labor Relations Board is expected to announce the official results.
The union had dedicated $40m to organizing plants across the South, which is the least unionized part of the country, as electric vehicles continue to enter the market in large numbers.
UAW had a breakthrough win in April by securing the votes of a Tennessee Volkswagen plant. That same month, it reached a deal with Daimler Truck, avoiding a strike of more than 7,000 workers in North Carolina.
“In the next few years, the electric vehicle battery industry is slated to add tens of thousands of jobs across the country, and new standards are being set as the industry comes online,” the organization said in a February news release.
“These jobs will supplement, and in some cases largely replace, existing powertrain jobs in the auto industry. Through a massive new organizing effort, workers will fight to maintain and raise the standard in the emerging battery industry.”
Support for the union has started to emerge across the region, even though the UAW lost elections at Volkswagen in 2014 and 2019. Alabama workers at Hyundai in Montgomery and Mercedes in Vance have grown in their support for the UAW, the organization said.
Experts say Mercedes-Benz is largely opposed to the UAW and has been accused of retaliating against workers for supporting it, CBS MoneyWatch reported.
The company has allegedly fired union supporters and disciplined workers for discussing organization efforts. The National Labor Relations Board is investigating six alleged violations the UAW has filed against the company since March.
Alabama’s Republican Governor Kay Ivey has also opposed the union and has gone so far as to introduce legislation that would take away tax incentives for companies that recognize labor unions.
“Alabama is not Michigan,” the governor said. “This week in Tuscaloosa, we have a secret ballot taking place at the Mercedes plant. It is my hope that every worker there votes — it’s crucial that every voice is heard. We want to ensure that Alabama values, not Detroit values, continue to define the future of this great state.”
