Mercedes-Benz workers in Alabama vote against unionizing in blow to big UAW push

Autoworkers at a Mercedes Benz plant in Alabama voted against joining the United Auto Workers union Friday, potentially stalling hopes of a rapidly growing organizing wave for autoworkers in the southern United States.

Autoworkers at a Mercedes Benz plant in Alabama voted against joining the United Auto Workers union Friday, potentially stalling hopes of a rapidly growing organizing wave for autoworkers in the southern United States. The result was a close outcome. Out of the valid votes counted, 56% of workers voted “no,” while 44% voted “yes” for unionization, according to Mercedes-Benz. The National Labor Relations Board said Friday there were more than 5,000 eligible voters. The UAW was hoping to carry its strong momentum with the Alabama vote, as its decision to use a “stand up strike” strategy hitting the Big Three automakers all at once brought unprecedented attention and record contracts for workers. And last month, it won a union election at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, its first victory in three attempts to organize the factory. Under relatively new UAW president Shawn Fain, the UAW had shifted its strategy for a membership push in non-unionized factories, many of which are located in the American South. In a March interview with Car and Driver, Fain said the profit margins for the Japanese, Korean and German automakers were “obscenely more gross than they were at the Big Three, and yet their workers get less.” “I truly believe we’re going to see a huge shift this year. I think we’re gonna win in the South,” he said in the interview.