Another foreign automaker feels pressure from the UAW auto union

The United Auto Workers, or UAW, is claiming even more ground in its effort to expand its reach within the American auto industry.

This time, he is preparing actions against another big name in the automotive sector.

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According to a Reuters report, workers at the Mercedes-Benz assembly plant in Tuscaloosa are seeking the help of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to organize an election to join the auto workers union.

Union leaders told Reuters that employees at the plant in Vance, Alabama, plan to file paperwork with the NLRB for a formal union election to join the UAW. The election date has not yet been determined.

Advances at Mercedes-Benz (DAIF) Follow recent UAW-related developments at another German automaker's assembly plant in the Deep South. On March 25, the NLRB set an election date for the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, where from April 17-19, the plant's workforce will decide whether or not they would like to be represented by the auto union led by Shawn Fain. .

The moves at Mercedes are another test in an effort led by UAW President Shawn Fain. They are seeking to organize many of the automakers' non-union facilities beyond Detroit's Big Three that are scattered across the country.

The campaign is especially targeting the plants of large Asian and European automakers, including Honda, Toyota and BMW, as well as Elon Musk's Tesla, seeking to add up to 150,000 additional members to the union.

According to a UAW February Release, a “majority of workers” at the Mercedes plant in Alabama have signed their union cards. However, Fain's efforts are not without struggle, whether from politicians or Mercedes-Benz itself.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, a Republican, is notoriously anti-union and extends no welcoming hand to the UAW or its leader Shawn Fain. After a UAW rally near the plant in March, Ivey called the union president an opportunist and noted that she was “living in the past” when it came to talking about Alabama.

“In case you haven't noticed, it's 2024 and many people from other parts of the country are choosing to move south, including Alabama, where they can enjoy a better quality of life,” Ivey told a company based in Alabama. conservative exit 1819 News on March 26. “Auto manufacturing jobs have also moved south. So it's no surprise that the UAW now wants to cash in on the gains of southern workers.”

At a UAW rally in North Carolina on April 2, Fain offered a response to the governor's rhetoric.

“Right now, auto workers at the Mercedes plant in Tuscaloosa are coming together to form a union with the UAW. Of course, the company won't sit still, and neither will the rich, so they are fighting back. And politicians are getting involved. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey recently dared to say that the South's economic model is under attack,” Fain said.

“You are absolutely right! “It’s under attack because workers are tired of being screwed.”

According to a AL.com March 26 reportMercedes-Benz has been accused of retaliating against workers at its Alabama plants for organizing or showing support for the UAW when they went to the NLRB with its findings.

in a statement provided by the UAWLakeisha Carter, a worker at Mercedes' Bibb County battery plant, not far from the Tuscaloosa plant, reported that management suddenly “lost” multiple attempts to file paperwork related to the Family and Medical Leave Act when she expressed support to the union.

“I am a strong supporter of the union and Mercedes illegally disciplined me for medical absences that were clearly covered by my FMLA claims. “It’s just retaliation on Mercedes’ part, but I’m not going to be intimidated,” Carter said.

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Another worker named Al Ezell has stage 4 lung cancer. He said he was initially given permission to have his phone on the assembly line floor in case his doctor called him to refill his prescription.

After expressing support for the union, he was disciplined under an unannounced “zero tolerance policy” against cell phones.

Similarly, Taylor Snipes was fired for having his phone on the ground. He recalled an intimidating meeting he had with management after talking about being forced to attend meetings to watch “anti-union videos that are full of lies.”

“During the meeting, I told management that it was suspicious that they called me into the office the same day I spoke at an anti-union meeting,” Snipes said. “My manager said the two had nothing to do with each other, but then proceeded to aggressively question me about why I support having a union.”

In a statement to AL.com, Mercedes-Benz US International (MBUSI) says it “did not interfere with or retaliate against any team member's right to seek union representation, and we do not agree that the claims have any merit.” .

“We look forward to presenting our case to the NLRB,” Mercedes-Benz said. “Furthermore, MBUSI rejects claims that it has denied leave to any team member because of their union membership. Following the UAW's national campaign to increase its membership, MBUSI wants to ensure its team members make an informed decision.”

On April 3, the United Auto Workers union charges filed against Mercedes-Benz Group AG in the automaker's home country, alleging that its anti-union practices are a violation of Germany's Law on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains, which prohibits German companies from ignoring rights of workers to form unions.

The complaint filed by the UAW documents seven violations of German law. If found guilty, Mercedes could face billions in penalties, fines and a ban on government contracts.

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