Workers at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance, Alabama, have petitioned U.S. regulators asking for an election to join the United Auto Workers (UAW), the union said Friday.
The SUV plant is the second to file an election petition with the National Labor Relations Bureau (NLRB) in recent weeks. The UAW hopes to hold a vote by early May after a “supermajority” of the more than 5,000 Mercedes employees at the plant signed cards to join the union.
The UAW’s increased organizing efforts come after months of work at more than a dozen non-union automakers, including companies such as Hyundai Motor, Toyota Motor, Tesla and Rivian. UAW President Shawn Fein has committed to achieving the goal of bringing a new automaker into the union, which represents a historic achievement for the organization.
The UAW’s efforts have received support from President Joe Biden, who has championed the union during rallies in Michigan, a key battleground state in the fall election. Tennessee’s Volkswagen plant is also expected to hold elections to join the UAW by April 19, after two failed attempts in 2014 and 2019. The union also accused Mercedes of violating Germany’s new law on global supply chain practices, which prohibits German companies from ignoring workers’ rights to form unions.
2024-04-06 00:12:00
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