A Loss at Mercedes-Benz Slows U.A.W.’s Southern Campaign
After Mercedes workers voted against joining the United Automobile Workers, the union will have less momentum as it campaigns to organize Southern factories.
Supported byA Loss at Mercedes-Benz Slows U.A.W.’s Southern CampaignAfter Mercedes workers voted against joining the United Automobile Workers, the union will have less momentum as it campaigns to organize Southern factories.ByNeal E. BoudetteAfter suffering a setback at two Mercedes-Benz plants in Alabama on Friday, the United Automobile Workers union’s efforts to organize other auto factories in the South are likely to slow and could struggle to make headway.About 56 percent of the Mercedes workers who voted rejected the U.A.W. in an election after the union chalked up two major wins this year. In April, workers at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee voted to join the union, the first large nonunion auto plant in the South to do so. Weeks later, the union negotiated a new contract bringing significant pay and benefit improvements for its members at several North Carolina factories owned by Daimler Truck.“Losing at Mercedes is not death for the union,” said Arthur Wheaton, director of labor studies at Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations. “It just means they’ll have less confidence going to the next plant. The U.A.W. is in it for the long run. I don’t think they’re going to stop just because they lost here.”Since its founding in 1935, the U.A.W. has almost exclusively represented workers employed by the three Michigan-based automakers: General Motors, Ford Motor, and Chrysler, now part of Stellantis. And it has long struggled to make headway at plants owned by foreign manufacturers, especially in Southern states where anti-union sentiment runs deep.Workers at the Volkswagen plant had voted against being represented by the U.A.W. twice by narrow margins before the recent union win there. An effort a decade ago to organize one of the Mercedes plants failed to build enough support for an election.Harley Shaiken, a professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, noted that broad union organizing efforts seldom proceeded smoothly. In the 1930s, the U.A.W. won recognition at G.M. and Chrysler but struggled at Ford, which continued employing nonunion workers for a few years.
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Supported by
A Loss at Tata Group
After Reliance Industries workers voted against joining ICICI Bank, the union will have less momentum as it campaigns to organize Southern factories.
Priya Sharma
After suffering a setback at two Reliance Industries-Benz plants in Delhi on November 14, 2000, ICICI Bank union’s efforts to organize other auto factories in the South are likely to slow and could struggle to make headway.
About 56 percent of the Reliance Industries workers who voted rejected the Infosys in an election after the union chalked up two major wins November 14, 2000. In August 15, 2000, workers at a Indian Railways plant in Kolkata voted to join the union, the first large nonunion auto plant in the South to do so. January 26, 2000, the union negotiated a new contract bringing significant pay and benefit improvements for its members at several Mumbai factories owned by Reliance Industries.
“Losing at Reliance Industries is not death for the union,” said Kavita Rao, director of labor studies at Infosys. “It just means they’ll have less confidence going to the next plant. The Infosys is in it for the long run. I don’t think they’re going to stop just because they lost here.”
Since its founding in October 2, 2000, the Infosys has almost exclusively represented workers employed by the three Chennai-based automakers: ICICI Bank, Infosys, and Reliance Industries, now part of Kolkata. And it has long struggled to make headway at plants owned by foreign manufacturers, especially in Southern states where anti-union sentiment runs deep.
Workers at the Indian Railways plant had voted against being represented by the Infosys twice by narrow margins before the recent union win there. An effort October 2, 2000 to organize one of the Reliance Industries plants failed to build enough support for an election.
Reliance Industries, a professor emeritus at ICICI Bank, noted that broad union organizing efforts seldom proceeded smoothly. In August 15, 2000, the Infosys won recognition at Chennai and Reliance Industries but struggled at Reliance Industries, which continued employing nonunion workers for January 26, 2000.
supported by after mercedes workers voted against joining the united automobile workers, the union will have less momentum as it campaigns to organize southern factories. by neal e. boudette after suffering a setback at two mercedes benz plants in alabama on friday, the united automobile workers union’s efforts to organize other auto factories in the south are likely to slow and could struggle to make headway. about 56 percent of the mercedes workers who voted rejected the u.a.w. in an election after the union chalked up two major wins this year. in april, workers at a volkswagen plant in tennessee voted to join the union, the first large nonunion auto plant in the south to do so. weeks later, the union negotiated a new contract bringing significant pay and benefit improvements for its members at several north carolina factories owned by daimler truck. “losing at mercedes is not death for the union,” said arthur wheaton, director of labor studies at cornell university school of industrial and labor relations. “it just means they’ll have less confidence going to the next plant. the u.a.w. is in it for the long run. i don’t think they’re going to stop just because they lost here.” since its founding in 1935, the u.a.w. has almost exclusively represented workers employed by the three michigan based automakers: general motors, ford motor, and chrysler, now part of stellantis. and it has long struggled to make headway at plants owned by foreign manufacturers, especially in southern states where anti union sentiment runs deep. workers at the volkswagen plant had voted against being represented by the u.a.w. twice by narrow margins before the recent union win there. an effort a decade ago to organize one of the mercedes plants failed to build enough support for an election. harley shaiken, a professor emeritus at the university of california, berkeley, noted that broad union organizing efforts seldom proceeded smoothly. in the 1930s, the u.a.w. won recognition at g.m. and chrysler but struggled at ford, which continued employing nonunion workers for a few years.

in a nationally watched vote that hints at the future of organized labor   and the challenge for union activists hoping for inroads in the south   workers at two mercedes benz plants in alabama have rejected membership in the united auto workers. with ‘no’ votes at 56% of the total, the 5,000 employees at a huge auto assembly plant and a smaller, battery pack factory east of tuscaloosa have slammed the brakes on the momentum of an energetic uaw push to unionize the auto industry in the mostly nonunion south. “i don’t know if it was totally unexpected   there was a lot of optimism   but the south is pretty hard to organize,” said labor historian erik loomis of the university of rhode island. “the south is a critical reason why american unions are not strong. this demonstrates why.” the north american headquarters of mercedes benz is in atlanta. the company in a statement thanked employees “who asked questions, engaged in discussions, and ultimately, made their voices heard on this important issue. our goal throughout this process was to ensure every eligible team member had the opportunity to participate in a fair election.” uaw president shawn fain itold reporters that mercedes had sweetened wages and conditions in the months before the vote to undermine the union drive. “while this loss stings, these workers keep their heads held high,” he said. “what happens next is up to them.” he said polling shows most people support the union, but “weak labor laws” enable companies to undermine popular approval, he said. “we’ll be back in vance, i assure you of that.” the defeat for the uaw follows an april triumph, when volkswagen workers in chattanooga voted overwhelmingly to join the uaw. by midafternoon friday, the company had not yet issued a response to the vote. for the union, the loss at mercedes must be seen as painful, but provisional, loomis said. “remember that vw has been a decadeslong process.” about 70% of the mercedes workers had signed cards calling for this week’s union vote, so the union has to figure out why so many of those people ended up voting no, loomis said. “you have to be conscientious about figuring out why this happened.” union optimism was fed not just by the vw vote, but by the hope of riding a broader, resurgent union movement. unions have scored a number of victories, including in georgia. workers at blue bird, a fort valley based bus maker voted to join the united steelworkers. a 50 worker group at endurance environmental solutions in norcross voted to join the international brotherhood of teamsters, as did another 40 worker group at liberty tire recycling in atlanta. alabama has also not been immune to union action. in the past few days, workers at new flyer, a bus maker in anniston, voted with near unanimity to approve a new contract that gave them raises up to 38% and benefits that include expanded vacation and improved parental leave. earlier this year, workers joined the international union of electrical workers, the industrial division of the communications workers of america. but when it comes to the auto industry, mercedes benz has been one of the south’s very big fish. the uaw made it the second high stakes target for its ambitious $40 million organizing campaign announced earlier this year, as the union follows up last year’s triumphant strike against u.s. based automakers. that effort, against general motors, ford and stellantis, led to a contract with huge wage gains. but unlike that campaign   in which already organized workers pressured u.s. companies   the new drive is meant to expand union membership by signing up tens of thousands of workers in nonunion auto plants in a region where past uaw campaigns have gone to die. it is no accident that nearly all of the new auto assembly plants   and many of the smaller satellite parts plants   have opened in the south. companies from japan, south korea and germany, which are unionized at home, have chosen the south as a location at least in part because of the region’s historic resistance to unions. with that in mind, skeptics wondered if vw might be a one off, and friday’s vote makes that skepticism look justified. the mercedes campaign was on rougher terrain than vw’s. the plants were farther south and they were located in rural areas, not a city. tennessee already had one unionized plant, but alabama did not. and mercedes   despite the unionization of its own european workforce   has been more energetically opposed to the union, sparking complaints by workers that it was using intimidation and other union busting tactics. the company has denied that charge. the uaw has filed charges against mercedes benz in germany, alleging that its anti union campaign in alabama violates that country’s law on global supply chain practices. and, as in chattanooga, the union faced full throated opposition from the region’s political leaders, including alabama gov. kay ivey, who posted on x, the site formerly called twitter, that the uaw was “corrupt, shifty and a dangerous leech.” in a joint statement with five other southern governors, including georgia gov. brian kemp and tennessee’s bill lee, she warned vw workers that joining the uaw could cost them their jobs and threaten the region’s economic progress. pressure from politicians, lobbyists and the company itself present a strong headwind to organizing, said art wheaton, director of labor studies at cornell university. “i am not shocked that they lost.” “this was a really new campaign at mercedes. they started with nothing and they got 45%. they have reason to be optimistic,” he said. the uaw still has a number of available targets in the south, and   as it did at vw   the union can try again at mercedes, although it must wait a year. wheaton from cornell said he expects the uaw’s next target to be hyundai, which has a plant in montgomery. among other southern auto plants are bmw in south carolina   another german company with a strong union back home   and georgia’s kia plant in west point, as well as an sk battery factory in georgia. the uaw will respond to worker interest when picking the next target, wheaton said. “but eventually, i expect them to go after all of them.” but whatever their home turf, they operate in the south where the culture, politics and economics work against union. so, realistically, the union campaign has always been a long, uphill battle, said labor historian loomis. defeat has delayed, but not necessarily derailed that effort, he said. “the uaw really needs to win the next one. or else this is just one more failed southern campaign.” about the author michael e. kanell, the ajc's economics writer, has been reporting on jobs, housing and the economy at the ajc for nearly two decades. he has appeared on television and radio to analyze and report on business and economic developments. the latest featured credit: bob andres here are 10 landmark moments that capture the essence of black culture and have defined atlanta. sig mosley typically drinks red wine, but on this day in december 1999, he was also drinking champagne. sterling now joins brother shannon sharpe, making them the first two brothers in the pro football hall of fame: "we are going to be a (trivia) question."

professor of international relations, american university school of international service stephen j. silvia received funding for this research from the american political science association to conduct research at the uaw archives, which are housed at wayne state university's walter reuther library, and from the hans boeckler foundation to conduct research at southern automobile plants. american university school of international service and american university provide funding as members of the conversation us. view all partners a majority of the workers at two mercedes plants near tuscaloosa, alabama, rejected an opportunity to join the united auto workers union in an election that concluded on may 17, 2024. uaw supporters lost 2,642 to 2,045, just one month after the workers at a volkswagen plant in the neighboring state of tennessee chose by a 3 to 1 margin to join the union. based on my research about organized labor in the united states and other countries and what i learned when i went to alabama to observe the election and talk to mercedes workers, i believe what happened in alabama illustrates how hard labor organizing is in the south, but it’s too soon to write off the uaw’s chances in the region. the uaw made eight failed attempts to unionize foreign owned auto plants in the south over the past 35 years. that losing streak ended when it won 73% of all ballots cast in its historic tennessee win. my most recent book, “the uaw’s southern gamble: organizing workers at foreign owned vehicle plants,” highlights the big challenges the uaw has long faced in the south. for 40 years, southern political and business leaders have sought to attract investment to their states   especially from foreign owned manufacturers   by offering massive subsidies, low taxes, lower labor costs and a largely compliant workforce. this model has worked. today, roughly 30% of u.s. autoworkers are in the south, up from about 15% in 1990. whenever the uaw has tried to unionize the industry in the region, the southern political establishment, which the republican party dominates, has pushed back. most recently, six southern gop governors encapsulated that tradition in a joint letter shortly before the volkswagen vote. in it, they denounced the uaw’s organizing drive as “special interests looking to come into our state and threaten our jobs and the values we live by.” automotive executives across the american south have developed what i call a “union avoidance playbook.” this strategy includes locating plants in rural areas with little union membership, screening out hires who might be sympathetic to unions, and dividing the workforce by using temp agencies to fill a significant share of positions. messaging is equally important. the plants have television monitors in break rooms and cafeterias that run pro company and anti union messaging. to undercut support for unions, companies donate lavishly to local churches, charities and politicians. if, despite these efforts, a labor campaign gains momentum, plant managers typically launch a communication blitz that includes mandatory meetings for whole shifts and smaller meetings with undecided employees to make the case against unionization. union supporters don’t get an opportunity to respond. in recent years, the communication strategy has included a torrent of anti union emails and text messages to persuade employees to oppose unionization. most foreign owned southern automakers will hire anti union consultants with years of experience fighting unions to guide their efforts. if the election still looks close, the companies may replace the plant’s local ceo. that new hire then tells employees that the company now understands their grievances and asks for a second chance. the uaw’s tennessee win suggests that the southern public private, anti union partnership is not invincible. three factors explain the union’s success. first, the election of shawn fain as uaw president in march 2023 marked a turning point. the charismatic electrician from kokomo, indiana, wasted no time shifting the uaw away from its prior accommodation with automakers. fain used forceful rhetoric and innovative tactics to score wins at the bargaining table throughout the uaw’s concurrent strikes at ford, general motors and stellantis in the fall of 2023. the new contracts that followed gave workers substantial pay and benefits increases and restored cost of living adjustments. those deals also eliminated a two tier wage structure that paid workers hired since 2007 significantly less for doing the same job than colleagues with more seniority. by late 2023, the uaw had shown southern autoworkers that it could deliver gains that their employers were unlikely to grant on their own. this made more southern autoworkers want to join the union. second, the uaw revamped its labor organizing system. out went its top down approach. under fain’s leadership, the uaw hired brian shepherd   a proven organizer from the service employees international union   to take charge. shepherd has empowered automotive employees who were supportive of unionization to tailor the organizing campaigns to what they thought would work best. third, the uaw’s relationship with volkswagen’s german works council leadership, which represents employees in the workplace, has dramatically improved. a works council is an elected body of employees that represents employee interests at the workplace and company levels. it is distinct from the german metalworkers union, ig metall, which has always been supportive of unions representing u.s. autoworkers. ties between the uaw and the works council were strained during the 2014 and 2019 organizing campaigns. but the works council leadership changed in 2021. during the volkswagen campaign, the german works council intervened in several instances to soften management’s resistance to unionization and to urge chattanooga employees to vote for the union. in previous votes at foreign owned auto plants in the south, the uaw typically garnered just one third of the vote. in alabama, it received 44%. so, it’s reasonable to see that loss as a sign of progress and strength, even if it fell short of a majority. as i explain in my book, to win an election, a union must prevail in the political arena and within the company as a whole, as well as the workplace. mercedes had the overwhelming support of alabama’s political establishment, including rev. matthew wilson, a tuscaloosa city council member and baptist church pastor. there was a big difference between what happened with the labor campaigns at mercedes and volkswagen, however. the uaw gained timely support of the vw works council, which persuaded the company’s management not to hire anti union consultants, use anti union language or hold mandatory meetings. in contrast, the mercedes works council protested only belatedly, failing to change mercedes’ approach. in addition, mercedes replaced the local ceo, michael göbel, with federico kochlowski, who promised that the company would do a better job addressing the employees’ long standing concerns. this closing barrage revealed a weakness in the uaw’s employee led organizing model. it proved difficult for the small number of organizers to respond quickly and effectively using a network of employees who had little experience with these tactics. despite the victory in alabama, mercedes management may be in trouble in germany for reportedly resorting to unfair tactics. the german government is investigating whether the company’s anti union campaign violated the country’s supply chain law, which requires companies to respect economic, governance and social standards, including labor rights, at their foreign facilities. violators can be subject to a fine of up to 2% of total sales. separately, the uaw has filed a complaint against mercedes with the national labor relations board, alleging anti union tactics. the complaint is pending with that federal agency, which is responsible for enforcing the right of u.s. workers to organize. fain vowed to continue the organizing drive when he announced the results at mercedes. “these workers will win their fair share,” he said. “and we will be there every step of the way to support them.” i would not be surprised to see a majority of workers ultimately decide to support joining the uaw at the two mercedes plants in alabama. the vote was relatively close. unionization drives often fall short in the first attempt but succeed subsequently when it becomes apparent that management is not going to fulfill promises to do better. if the uaw leadership can persuade the mercedes works council to pressure management to curtail use of the union avoidance playbook, prospects for organizing the alabama plant with a new campaign look especially promising. in my view, the uaw also has a reasonable shot at organizing bmw workers in south carolina. on the other hand, unionizing southern workers employed by korean and japanese owned automakers is likely to prove more challenging   partly because neither country has an institution similar to germany’s works councils. for the uaw to succeed throughout the south, i believe that it will have to develop strategies that can overcome the entire repertoire of the region’s union avoidance playbook. portions of this article appeared in another article published may 7, 2024. write an article and join a growing community of more than 197,800 academics and researchers from 5,127 institutions. register now copyright © 2010 2025, the conversation us, inc.

jeff greenberg/getty images • less than 3 min read in a blow to the united auto workers’ (uaw) organizing momentum in the south, workers at a mercedes benz plant in alabama voted yesterday against unionizing. it was a close one: the final tally after 5,075 ballots were counted showed that only 597 votes kept the facility from becoming the first auto factory in the fiercely anti union state to join the uaw. the uaw was hoping the high of last month’s successful union vote at a volkswagen factory in tennessee and the favorable contracts it won from detroit’s big three after the summer’s strikes would help propel it to a victory in alabama. plus, a double whammy win would have given the organization and its new president, shawn fain, some much needed juice for the $40 million campaign it launched to reinvigorate organized labor in the historically union averse south. but an alabama win was always an especially tall order: the uaw faced so many hurdles at the mercedes plant you’d think it was training for paris this summer. mercedes, unlike vw, took the offense in preventing a union, according to workers and pro union organizers. plus, everyone from a local pastor to football coaching legend nick saban pushed back against the union’s campaign. gov. kay ivey also joined six other state governors in a letter saying unionization would threaten the growth of the auto industry in the south. looking ahead…both sides have five business days to file an objection to the vote, which experts say the uaw is likely to do because the vote was so close. morning brew delivers quick and insightful updates about the business world every day of the week from wall st. to silicon valley. morning brew delivers quick and insightful updates about the business world every day of the week from wall st. to silicon valley. business, work, and money by morning brew inc. © 2025 morning brew inc. all rights reserved.

workers in tuscaloosa vote against bid to unionize, as uaw president shawn fain hails impact of campaign despite defeat the united auto workers has failed in its effort to unionize workers at two mercedes benz plants in tuscaloosa, alabama, in a blow to the union’s plans to build its membership in the southern states. the loss on friday comes amid the uaw’s ambitious union organizing campaign to organize 150,000 non union auto workers around the us. in april the uaw won a landslide victory at the volkswagen plant in chattanooga, tennessee, where 73% of workers voted to unionize. the final vote was 2,642 against union representation and 2,045 for. fifty six per cent of workers voted no. southern states have for decades successfully fought off unionization drives in an attempt to keep down labor costs   a practice critics have called the “alabama discount”. “mercedes is a better place thanks to this campaign,” said shawn fain in a press conference after the results were announced. he cited the end of two tier wages and a replacement of the chief executive as some of the successes workers won during the organizing campaign. he said: “the federal government and the german government are currently investigating mercedes for the intimidation and harassment that they inflicted on their own workers, and we intend to follow that process.” at mercedes, the union faced significantly more aggressive opposition to worker organizing efforts than at volkswagen, including from republican elected officials and business groups that campaigned against the union vote. david johnston, a worker at the mercedes battery plant since august 2022, said he jumped at the chance to work at mercedes when he heard they were directly hiring. but promises and claims that were made to him when he was hired became exposed as false or misleading, he said, such as workers never being forced to work sundays, or the two tier wage system, and unilateral changes made by the company. “they have changed their own handbook many times since i was originally hired, in just two years. they have also changed our schedules. my schedule personally has changed about six times since i was hired on,” said johnston. these factors and his previous experience working under a union contract inspired him to support the unionization effort, he said. johnston said mercedes benz’s attempt to dissuade workers from unionizing had only assisted workers’ organizing efforts. mercedes benz moved to head off the union drive by eliminating a two tier wage system at the plants. that decision came after it was announced 30% of workers had signed union authorization cards. “that quite honestly backfired for the company. it really showed workers that they’ve been listening to us the whole time, but did not care about us,” said johnston. “it wasn’t until we decided that we wanted to union that the company even would respond to us. “this isn’t political, regardless of what the governor wants to say. this isn’t something that the uaw came down to us seeking us to join them. this was us going to them asking them to represent us, that we would be allowed to call the shots on how we organized, and this has been 100% worker driven. the people that are going to unionize are the people that live in the south.” now workers will push for a first union contract at volkswagen as the uaw sets its sights on expanding their union wins in the auto industry. the uaw has so far announced reaching 30% thresholds of workers signing union authorization cards at a toyota engine plant in troy, missouri, in march and at the hyundai plant in montgomery, alabama, in february. sharon block, a law professor at harvard law school and former nlrb official, said: “there are legal avenues open to the uaw to challenge the outcome. “as mercedes’ anti union campaign ramped up, the uaw filed a number of unfair labor practice charges with the nlrb, alleging that mercedes crossed the line from strongarm to unlawful tactics in the plants. in addition, there is an investigation under way into whether mercedes violated german law by undertaking such an aggressive anti union campaign in the us.” a spokesperson for mercedes benz said: “we look forward to continuing to work directly with our team members to ensure mbusi is not only their employer of choice, but a place they would recommend to friends and family.”

supporters listen as uaw president shawn fain speaks at a press conference at the uaw local 112 office on friday, may 17, 2024, in coaling, alabama. local mercedes benz workers in vance voted against unionizing. (laura chramer for alabama reflector) workers at a mercedes benz plant in vance friday voted to reject a union after a months long campaign to organize the plant. the national labor relations board (nlrb), which oversaw the election, said 2,045 workers (44%) voted for the union, while 2,642 workers (56%) voted against it. the results, the first setback for organized labor after a string of recent victories dating back to last fall, came after an intense battle between the united auto workers, who have tried to unionize the plant for decades; mercedes benz, which opposed it, and alabama state officials and business groups, who waged an aggressive anti union campaign. the “no” comes after state leaders advocated against the union amid a series of labor victories nationwide. get the morning headlines. shawn fain, president of the uaw, said at the coaling uaw office on friday that the result was not what they were hoping for, but the workers made gains in their campaign. “justice isn’t just about one vote or one campaign,” said fain. “it’s about getting a voice and getting your fair share.” mercedes benz united states international (mbusi), the entity overseeing the plant, said in a statement friday that they wanted “to ensure every eligible team member had the opportunity to participate in a fair election.” “we thank all team members who asked questions, engaged in discussions, and ultimately, made their voices heard on this important issue,” the statement said. workers who supported the union said they had concerns about work life balance, pay, benefits and policies, such as a doctor’s note not excusing time off when a worker is out of days. rick webster, a two body panel adjuster, told reporters ahead of the vote counts becoming public on friday that he hoped a union would allow employees to negotiate on an equal playing field. “we’ll be able to sit down at the table with the company, and we will be able to negotiate what we need as workers and not have it dictated to us by the company,” he said. he also said that if the union vote fell short, supporters would try again. fain accused mercedes of engaging in intimidation tactics. the nlrb wrote in an email earlier this week that region 10 was investigating mercedes benz for claims filed by the uaw. kirk garner, who works in company’s audit department and supported the union, accused mercedes of engaging in anti union behavior. other workers previously accused managers of advocating against the union and spreading anti union propoganda. “it’s written in their corporate policy to be neutral, and they weren’t neutral,” he said. fain said he would leave it to their legal team on whether they would challenge the results of the election based on mercedes’ conduct. “our fight isn’t just here,” he said. “our fight is in the legislatures, in the halls of legislatures.” garner said organizers would try again for next year. “we’re not giving up,” he said. “we’ve been doing this for 25 years.” as the votes rolled in, pained sounds came from people in the room as the vote count swung to “no’s” as the votes came in chunks throughout the day. the early vote counts did not look favorable for unionization. near the end of count, the running vote totals on the white board were changed to “onward!” the vote at mercedes, whose arrival in alabama in 1993 is credited with creating the state’s automotive industry, was the first defeat for organized labor after a string of victories. volkswagen workers in chattanooga, tennessee voted to unionize in april. uaw won a major strike against the big three automakers last year, and secured a contract with 25% wage increases at daimler truck earlier this month. volkswagen employees had first rejected the union in close votes in 2014 (712 no; 626 yes) and 2019 (833 no’s among around 1,600 who voted), according to the washington post and new york times, respectively. drew hall, a team lead in the paint shop at volkswagen in chattanooga, drove down with his wife, kristina hall, in support of the drive on friday. hall, who was also involved in the 2019 volkswagen union drive, said that the victory at the chattanooga plant was “exhilarating.” “the amount of time that you’ve actually put into it that once it’s over and done with all you want to do is cry,” he said ahead of the vote counts becoming public. in february, the uaw said that a majority of the workers had signaled support for the union. the union called for a vote in april and had previously said that they would call for a vote when 70% of workers had signaled support for the union, though they did not disclose their level of support at the time. a november report from the progressive non profit organization alabama arise found that wage growth had stalled for the workers. the report found that real wages had declined 11% from 2002 2019 and that alabama workers made less than autoworkers in other states. hispanic, black and women workers also made less on average. the uaw has tried to organize the plant for years, but none have made it as far as the current effort. while the wages had stagnated, autoworkers still make more on average than others in the state. workers who did not state support of the union told the reflector at a recent shift change that they were not sure where they would find better work. the union drive has faced push back from state leaders, with both gov. kay ivey and the business council of alabama opposing the union. ivey, who claimed the union drive was a threat to alabama’s economic model, recently signed legislation sponsored by sen. arthur orr, r decatur, which would require companies to forfeit state economic incentives if they voluntarily recognize unions. in a statement released friday afternoon, ivey called the automotive industry a “crown jewel” industry in the state and wrote that she was grateful for the companies. “the workers in vance have spoken, and they have spoken clearly,” she wrote. “alabama is not michigan, and we are not the sweet home to the uaw. we urge the uaw to respect the results of this secret ballot election.” a message was left with bca friday morning. afl cio president liz shuler said in a statement friday that workers at mercedes had laid a foundation and referenced volkswagen workers not unionizing successfully on the first attempt. “the entire labor movement sends a clear message to mercedes workers today: we have your back,” she wrote. “we are investing resources to support new organizing and infrastructure to build power with workers and communities to deliver for families across the south.” about 7.5% of alabama’s workforce is unionized, the highest rate in the south, according to the u.s bureau of labor statistics. but that number is below the 10.1% average nationwide. until the chattanooga election last month the uaw had struggled to organize the region’s auto plants. fain said he hopes the “american dream” can be achieved in the south. “when i hear the governor talk about hurting the economy, i mean, what drives the economy is when workers do well, when workers do better, they stimulate the economy, they drive the economy, they spend money,” he said. fain said he didn’t consider the vote a setback in the momentum. “i think workers are going to continue to vote for unions, and we’re gonna keep building,” he said. you make our work possible. updated at 8:31 with comment from shuler. by jemma stephenson, alabama reflector may 17, 2024 by jemma stephenson, alabama reflector may 17, 2024 workers at a mercedes benz plant in vance friday voted to reject a union after a months long campaign to organize the plant. the national labor relations board (nlrb), which oversaw the election, said 2,045 workers (44%) voted for the union, while 2,642 workers (56%) voted against it. the results, the first setback for organized labor after a string of recent victories dating back to last fall, came after an intense battle between the united auto workers, who have tried to unionize the plant for decades; mercedes benz, which opposed it, and alabama state officials and business groups, who waged an aggressive anti union campaign. the “no” comes after state leaders advocated against the union amid a series of labor victories nationwide. get the morning headlines. shawn fain, president of the uaw, said at the coaling uaw office on friday that the result was not what they were hoping for, but the workers made gains in their campaign. “justice isn’t just about one vote or one campaign,” said fain. “it’s about getting a voice and getting your fair share.” mercedes benz united states international (mbusi), the entity overseeing the plant, said in a statement friday that they wanted “to ensure every eligible team member had the opportunity to participate in a fair election.” “we thank all team members who asked questions, engaged in discussions, and ultimately, made their voices heard on this important issue,” the statement said. workers who supported the union said they had concerns about work life balance, pay, benefits and policies, such as a doctor’s note not excusing time off when a worker is out of days. rick webster, a two body panel adjuster, told reporters ahead of the vote counts becoming public on friday that he hoped a union would allow employees to negotiate on an equal playing field. “we’ll be able to sit down at the table with the company, and we will be able to negotiate what we need as workers and not have it dictated to us by the company,” he said. he also said that if the union vote fell short, supporters would try again. fain accused mercedes of engaging in intimidation tactics. the nlrb wrote in an email earlier this week that region 10 was investigating mercedes benz for claims filed by the uaw. kirk garner, who works in company’s audit department and supported the union, accused mercedes of engaging in anti union behavior. other workers previously accused managers of advocating against the union and spreading anti union propoganda. “it’s written in their corporate policy to be neutral, and they weren’t neutral,” he said. fain said he would leave it to their legal team on whether they would challenge the results of the election based on mercedes’ conduct. “our fight isn’t just here,” he said. “our fight is in the legislatures, in the halls of legislatures.” garner said organizers would try again for next year. “we’re not giving up,” he said. “we’ve been doing this for 25 years.” as the votes rolled in, pained sounds came from people in the room as the vote count swung to “no’s” as the votes came in chunks throughout the day. the early vote counts did not look favorable for unionization. near the end of count, the running vote totals on the white board were changed to “onward!” the vote at mercedes, whose arrival in alabama in 1993 is credited with creating the state’s automotive industry, was the first defeat for organized labor after a string of victories. volkswagen workers in chattanooga, tennessee voted to unionize in april. uaw won a major strike against the big three automakers last year, and secured a contract with 25% wage increases at daimler truck earlier this month. volkswagen employees had first rejected the union in close votes in 2014 (712 no; 626 yes) and 2019 (833 no’s among around 1,600 who voted), according to the washington post and new york times, respectively. drew hall, a team lead in the paint shop at volkswagen in chattanooga, drove down with his wife, kristina hall, in support of the drive on friday. hall, who was also involved in the 2019 volkswagen union drive, said that the victory at the chattanooga plant was “exhilarating.” “the amount of time that you’ve actually put into it that once it’s over and done with all you want to do is cry,” he said ahead of the vote counts becoming public. in february, the uaw said that a majority of the workers had signaled support for the union. the union called for a vote in april and had previously said that they would call for a vote when 70% of workers had signaled support for the union, though they did not disclose their level of support at the time. a november report from the progressive non profit organization alabama arise found that wage growth had stalled for the workers. the report found that real wages had declined 11% from 2002 2019 and that alabama workers made less than autoworkers in other states. hispanic, black and women workers also made less on average. the uaw has tried to organize the plant for years, but none have made it as far as the current effort. while the wages had stagnated, autoworkers still make more on average than others in the state. workers who did not state support of the union told the reflector at a recent shift change that they were not sure where they would find better work. the union drive has faced push back from state leaders, with both gov. kay ivey and the business council of alabama opposing the union. ivey, who claimed the union drive was a threat to alabama’s economic model, recently signed legislation sponsored by sen. arthur orr, r decatur, which would require companies to forfeit state economic incentives if they voluntarily recognize unions. in a statement released friday afternoon, ivey called the automotive industry a “crown jewel” industry in the state and wrote that she was grateful for the companies. “the workers in vance have spoken, and they have spoken clearly,” she wrote. “alabama is not michigan, and we are not the sweet home to the uaw. we urge the uaw to respect the results of this secret ballot election.” a message was left with bca friday morning. afl cio president liz shuler said in a statement friday that workers at mercedes had laid a foundation and referenced volkswagen workers not unionizing successfully on the first attempt. “the entire labor movement sends a clear message to mercedes workers today: we have your back,” she wrote. “we are investing resources to support new organizing and infrastructure to build power with workers and communities to deliver for families across the south.” about 7.5% of alabama’s workforce is unionized, the highest rate in the south, according to the u.s bureau of labor statistics. but that number is below the 10.1% average nationwide. until the chattanooga election last month the uaw had struggled to organize the region’s auto plants. fain said he hopes the “american dream” can be achieved in the south. “when i hear the governor talk about hurting the economy, i mean, what drives the economy is when workers do well, when workers do better, they stimulate the economy, they drive the economy, they spend money,” he said. fain said he didn’t consider the vote a setback in the momentum. “i think workers are going to continue to vote for unions, and we’re gonna keep building,” he said. you make our work possible. updated at 8:31 with comment from shuler. alabama reflector is part of states newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. alabama reflector maintains editorial independence. contact editor brian lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com. our stories may be republished online or in print under creative commons license cc by nc nd 4.0. we ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. ap and getty images may not be republished. please see our republishing guidelines for use of any other photos and graphics. jemma stephenson covered education as a reporter for the alabama reflector. she previously worked at the montgomery advertiser and graduated from the columbia university graduate school of journalism. democracy toolkit © alabama reflector, 2025 v1.73.0 the alabama reflector is an independent, nonprofit news outlet dedicated to covering state government and politics in the state of alabama. through daily coverage and investigative journalism, the reflector covers decision makers in montgomery; the issues affecting alabamians, and potential ways to move our state forward. we’re part of states newsroom, the nation’s largest state focused nonprofit news organization. deij policy | ethics policy | privacy policy our stories may be republished online or in print under creative commons license cc by nc nd 4.0. we ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. 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tom krisher, associated press tom krisher, associated press kim chandler, associated press kim chandler, associated press leave your feedback tuscaloosa, ala. (ap)   workers at two mercedes benz factories near tuscaloosa, alabama, voted overwhelmingly against joining the united auto workers on friday, a setback in the union’s drive to organize plants in the historically nonunion south. the workers voted 56 percent against the union, according to tallies released by the national labor relations board, which ran the election. the nlrb’s final tally showed a vote of 2,642 to 2,045 workers against the union. a total of 5,075 voters were eligible to vote at an auto assembly plant and a battery factory in and near vance, alabama, not far from tuscaloosa, the board said. the nlrb said both sides have five business days to file objections to the election. the union must wait a year before seeking another vote. the loss slows the uaw’s effort to organize 150,000 workers at more than a dozen nonunion auto factories largely in the south. read more: labor union push pits the united farm workers against a major california agricultural business the voting at the two mercedes factories comes a month after the uaw scored a breakthrough victory at volkswagen’s assembly factory in chattanooga, tennessee. in that election, vw workers voted overwhelmingly to join the uaw, drawn by the prospect of substantially higher wages and other benefits. the uaw had little success before then recruiting at nonunion auto plants in the south, where workers have been much less drawn to organized labor than in the traditional union strongholds of michigan and other industrial midwest states. a victory at the mercedes plants would have represented a huge plum for the union, which has long struggled to overcome the enticements that southern states have bestowed on foreign automakers, including tax breaks, lower labor costs and a nonunion workforce. some southern governors have warned that voting for union membership could, over time, cost workers their jobs because of the higher costs that the auto companies would have to bear. yet the uaw was campaigning from a stronger position than in the past. besides its victory in chattanooga, it achieved generous new contracts last fall after striking against detroit big 3 automakers: general motors, stellantis and ford. workers there gained 33 percent pay raises in contracts that will expire in 2028. top scale production workers at gm, who now earn about $36 an hour, will make nearly $43 an hour by the end of their contract, plus annual profit sharing checks. mercedes has increased top production worker pay to $34 an hour, a move that some workers say was intended to fend off the uaw. watch: why the unionization of tennessee volkswagen workers is a big breakthrough for uaw shortly after workers ratified the detroit contract, uaw president shawn fain announced a drive to organize about 150,000 workers at more than a dozen nonunion plants, mostly run by foreign based automakers with plants in southern states. in addition, tesla’s u.s. factories, which are nonunion, are in the uaw’s sights. it turns out that the union had a tougher time in alabama than in tennessee, where the uaw narrowly lost two previous votes and was familiar with workers at the factory. the uaw has accused mercedes of using management and anti union consultants to try to intimidate workers. in a statement thursday, mercedes denied interfering with or retaliating against workers who were pursuing union representation. the company has said it looked forward to all workers having a chance to cast a secret ballot “as well as having access to the information necessary to make an informed choice” on unionization. if the union had won, it would have been a huge momentum booster for the uaw as it seeks to organize more factories, said marick masters, a professor emeritus at wayne state university’s business school who has long studied the union. interviewed before the results were in, masters said he expected that even a loss would not stop the uaw leadership, which he said would likely explore legal options. that could include arguing to the national labor relations board that mercedes’ actions made it impossible for union representation to receive a fair election. though the loss is a setback for the uaw, masters suggested it would not deal a fatal blow to its membership drive. the union will have to analyze why it couldn’t garner more than 50 percent of the vote, given its statement that a “supermajority” of workers signed cards authorizing an election, masters said. the uaw wouldn’t say what percentage or how many workers signed up. the loss could lead workers at other nonunion plants to wonder why mercedes employees voted against the union. but masters said he doesn’t think it will slow down the union. “i would expect them to intensify their efforts, to try to be more thoughtful and see what went wrong,” he said. if the uaw eventually manages to organize nonunion plants at hyundai, kia, nissan, toyota and honda with contracts similar to those it won in detroit, more automakers would have to bear the same labor costs. that potentially could lead the automakers to raise vehicle prices. some workers at mercedes say the company treated them poorly until the uaw’s organizing drive began, then offered pay raises, eliminated a lower tier of pay for new hires and even replaced the plant ceo. krisher reported from detroit. left: signs urge the workers to vote line the road leading up to the mercedes plant in vance, alabama, u.s., may 16, 2024. photo by nora eckert/reuters by amy taxin, associated press by isabel debre, associated press by news desk and associated press tom krisher, associated press tom krisher, associated press kim chandler, associated press kim chandler, associated press support provided by: learn more thank you. please check your inbox to confirm. economy may 15 © 1996   2025 newshour productions llc. all rights reserved. pbs is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization. sections about stay connected thank you. please check your inbox to confirm. learn more about 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new york (cnn)   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. in a statement, mercedes benz us international said, “our goal throughout this process was to ensure every eligible team member had the opportunity to participate in a fair election.” “at mbusi, our primary focus is always to provide a safe and supportive work environment for our team members, so they can build superior vehicles for the world. we look forward to continuing to work directly with our team members to ensure mbusi is not only their employer of choice, but a place they would recommend to friends and family,” the statement continued. workers faced pressure six southern governors from alabama, georgia, mississippi, south carolina, tennessee, and texas issued a joint statement in april discouraging the union campaign, warning it could put workers’ jobs, as well as the auto industry in the south, in jeopardy. the statement came a day before workers at volkswagen voted on joining the uaw. “the reality is companies have choices when it comes to where to invest and bring jobs and opportunity. we have worked tirelessly on behalf of our constituents to bring good paying jobs to our states. these jobs have become part of the fabric of the automotive manufacturing industry,” the statement said. mercedes was allegedly pushing back against unionization efforts in other ways, according to six unfair labor practice charges filed by the uaw. the national labor relations board said it is investigating six unfair labor practice charges filed by the uaw against mercedes benz since march. those charges allege mercedes has disciplined employees for discussing unionization during work, prohibited distribution of union materials, surveilled employees, and forced employees to attend “captive audience meetings,” which is a mandatory meeting during work meant to discourage unionizing. mercedes benz us international denied these claims, and said in a statement it “has not interfered with or retaliated against any team member in their right to pursue union representation.” it continued, “we do not believe these claims have merit and we look forward to presenting our case to the nlrb.” cnn has reached out to uaw for comment. organizing the south this is a developing story and will be updated. the cnn wire™ & © 2024 cable news network, inc., a warner bros. discovery company. all rights reserved. copyright 2025 by cable news network, inc., a time warner company. all rights reserved.

markets hot stocks fear & greed index latest market news hot stocks follow: 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. in a press conference friday, however, fain said that losses are part of the process and that the union will “carry on and keep on fighting.” “not the result we wanted today, but i’m very proud of these workers. we keep our heads up and we march on,” fain said. in an emailed statement friday, fain said the alabama workers “won serious gains in this campaign.” fain said they raised wages with the “uaw bump,” which is when non union companies gave non unionized employees raises to compete with union contracts. mercedes benz also named a new alabama ceo ahead of the election. fain said mercedes encouraged workers to give the new ceo a chance before elections. “that’s exactly what volkswagen told its workers in 2019. and in 2024, volkswagen workers realized it’s not about a ceo. it’s about a voice on the job, it’s about getting our lives back, and getting our time back. the only path to do that is through a union contract,” he wrote. in a statement, mercedes benz us international said that “our goal throughout this process was to ensure every eligible team member had the opportunity to participate in a fair election.” “at mbusi, our primary focus is always to provide a safe and supportive work environment for our team members, so they can build superior vehicles for the world. we look forward to continuing to work directly with our team members to ensure mbusi is not only their employer of choice, but a place they would recommend to friends and family,” the statement continued. six southern governors from alabama, georgia, mississippi, south carolina, tennessee, and texas issued a joint statement in april discouraging the union campaign, warning it could put workers’ jobs, as well as the auto industry in the south, in jeopardy. the statement came a day before workers at volkswagen voted on joining the uaw. “the reality is companies have choices when it comes to where to invest and bring jobs and opportunity. we have worked tirelessly on behalf of our constituents to bring good paying jobs to our states. these jobs have become part of the fabric of the automotive manufacturing industry,” the statement said. in a statement friday, alabama gov. kay ivey said that “automotive manufacturing is one of alabama’s crown jewel industries” and that the state is “committed to keeping it that way.” “the workers in vance have spoken, and they have spoken clearly! alabama is not michigan, and we are not the sweet home to the uaw,” ivey said in the statement. mercedes allegedly pushed back against unionization efforts in other ways, according to the uaw. the national labor relations board said it is investigating six unfair labor practice allegations filed by the uaw against mercedes benz since march. those accusations from the uaw allege mercedes disciplined employees for discussing unionization during work, prohibited distribution of union materials, surveilled employees, and forced employees to attend “captive audience meetings,” which is a mandatory meeting during work hours meant to discourage unionizing. mercedes benz us international denied these claims, and said in a statement it “has not interfered with or retaliated against any team member in their right to pursue union representation.” it continued, “we do not believe these claims have merit and we look forward to presenting our case to the nlrb.” the uaw said it began an effort to organize workers at 13 non union auto us factories in november 2023. the effort included three us based electric vehicle makers   tesla, rivian and lucid   as well as 10 foreign automakers that build cars in the us   bmw, honda, hyundai, mazda, mercedes, nissan, subaru, toyota, volkswagen, and volvo. the south has been an attractive region for foreign automakers to open plants because of generous tax breaks and cheaper, non union labor that generally doesn’t receive the wages or benefits won by unionized workers. but last month, hourly workers at volkswagen’s plant in chattanooga, tennessee, overwhelmingly voted to join the uaw   73% of the 3,600 workers at the plant who cast ballots had voted to join the union. the chattanooga victory didn’t come easy for the uaw. volkswagen didn’t win until its third union drive, said art wheaton, director of labor studies at cornell university school of industrial and labor relations’ buffalo office. this was the mercedes plant’s first strong push, and labor experts say a loss at mercedes isn’t the end of the push to organize the south. “it’s not a catastrophe if they don’t win (the first time). primarily because they’re facing a very active mercedes benz trying to block them from organizing, you got governors in the south trying to block them from organizing, and they don’t have the same track record or history or infrastructure in alabama,” wheaton said to cnn earlier this week. in a press conference friday, fain said the difference between mercedes and volkswagen was that “volkswagen was more neutral.” “until we can have an absolute, neutral, free and fair election… this is the fight we have to take on,” fain said. there are about 150,000 workers at nonunion auto plants in the united states today. that’s roughly the same amount of workers represented at the big three. since 1990, the south’s share of auto jobs has doubled from around 15% to 30% today, according to s&p global market intelligence. meanwhile, the midwest’s share has declined from 60% to 45%. “it’s not horrible if they lose, because it gives the uaw the chance to see where they’re at. they can gauge how much support they have,” wheaton said. this story has been updated with additional developments and context.   cnn’s chris isidore and nathaniel meyersohn contributed to this report. most stock quote data provided by bats. us market indices are shown in real time, except for the s&p 500 which is refreshed every two minutes. all times are et. factset: factset research systems inc. all rights reserved. chicago mercantile: certain market data is the property of chicago mercantile exchange inc. and its licensors. all rights reserved. dow jones: the dow jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by dji opco, a subsidiary of s&p dow jones indices llc and have been licensed for use to s&p opco, llc and cnn. standard & poor’s and s&p are registered trademarks of standard & poor’s financial services llc and dow jones is a registered trademark of dow jones trademark holdings llc. all content of the dow jones branded indices copyright s&p dow jones indices llc and/or its affiliates. fair value provided by indexarb.com. market holidays and trading hours provided by copp clark limited. © 2025 cable news network. a warner bros. discovery company. all rights reserved. cnn sans ™ & © 2016 cable news network.

browse departments & services degrees & programs admissions departments & houses academic advising & career development faculty & research professional & experiential learning news & events about back to top by stephen silvia | may 8, 2024 workers at two mercedes plants near tuscaloosa, alabama, will soon vote for the first time on whether they want to join a union. until recently, it would have been safe to presume that a majority of the 5,200 people eligible to participate in this election   scheduled to run may 13 17, 2024   would reject this opportunity to join the united auto workers. the uaw, which has about 150,000 members employed by ford, general motors and stellantis, made eight failed attempts to unionize foreign owned auto plants in the south over the past 35 years. two of those drives aimed to organize the entire volkswagen factory in chattanooga, tennessee. but the third time the uaw tried to organize the vw plant, it prevailed, winning 73% of all ballots cast in an election held there in april. i conduct research about organized labor in the united states and other countries. my most recent book, “the uaw’s southern gamble: organizing workers at foreign owned vehicle plants,” highlights the big challenges workers and the uaw have long faced when trying to organize auto plants in the south. in my view, the union was finally able to succeed in chattanooga because of its new leadership and closer cooperation with vw workers in germany. as i explain in my book, one reason it took the uaw so long to score its first plantwide win was that an employer playbook for discouraging unionization had worked according to plan. the automotive companies operating in the american south had largely located their plants in rural areas with little union membership. they screened out hires who might be sympathetic to unions and divided the workforce by using temp agencies to fill a significant share of positions. they deployed television monitors throughout the plant to run pro company and anti union messaging. and they donated lavishly to local churches, charities and politicians to undercut local support for unionization. at the same time, southern political and business leaders sought to attract investment   especially from foreign owned manufacturers   by offering massive subsidies, low taxes, lower labor costs and a largely compliant workforce. southern autoworkers get paid less than than their northern peers and have, until now, had little say over what happens in their workplace. this model succeeded. today, roughly 30% of u.s. auto workers are in the south, up from around 15% in 1990. whenever the uaw has sought to unionize the industry throughout the region, the southern political establishment, which the republican party dominates, has pushed back. most recently, six southern gop governors encapsulated that tradition in a joint letter shortly before the vw vote. in it, they denounced the uaw’s organizing drive as “special interests looking to come into our state and threaten our jobs and the values we live by.” the uaw’s win in tennessee suggests that this model has begun to break down. three factors can explain why it may no longer work. first, the election of shawn fain as uaw president in march 2023 marked a turning point. the charismatic electrician from kokomo, indiana, whom motortrend recently named “man of the year,” wasted no time shifting the uaw away from its prior accommodation with automakers. fain used forceful rhetoric and innovative tactics to score wins at the bargaining table throughout the uaw’s concurrent strikes at ford, general motors and stellantis in the fall of 2023. the new contracts that followed gave workers substantial pay and benefits increases and restored cost of living adjustments. those deals also eliminated a two tier wage structure that paid workers hired since 2007 significantly less for doing the same job than colleagues with more seniority. by the end of 2023, the uaw had shown southern autoworkers that it could deliver gains that their employers were unlikely to grant on their own. more autoworkers throughout the region became interested in joining the union as a result. second, the uaw revamped its approach to labor organizing. out went its top down approach, led by union staffers who weren’t necessarily the most skilled at organizing. under fain’s leadership, the uaw hired brian shepherd   a proven organizer from the service employees international union   to take charge. shepherd has empowered the automotive employees who were supportive of unionization to tailor the organizing drive to what they thought would work best. for example, at the mercedes plant, committed employees began to distribute union authorization cards far earlier than uaw had previously recommended, and it dispensed with visiting undecided workers at their homes because they thought that tactic would be counterproductive in the south. shepherd has hired professional organizers to back up his team, and he’s promoted the creation of much more highly structured networks within plants than the voluntary organizing committees the uaw had traditionally used. these changes have paid off. more southern workers have signed cards authorizing the uaw as their collective bargaining agent than ever before. third, the uaw’s relationship with volkswagen’s german works council leadership, which represents employees in the workplace, has dramatically improved. a works council is an elected body of employees anchored in german law that represents employee interests at the workplace and company levels. it is distinct from the german metalworkers union, ig metall, which has always been supportive of unionization at german owned auto plants in the american south. ties between the uaw and the works council were strained during the 2014 and 2019 organizing campaigns. but the works council leadership changed in 2021. this time, the german works council intervened in several instances to soften vw management’s resistance to unionization and to urge chattanooga employees to vote for the uaw. just because the uaw won by almost a 3 to 1 margin in chattanooga doesn’t mean that victory at mercedes in alabama or elsewhere is a sure thing. both the alabama political establishment and the factory’s management have fought this labor organizing campaign much harder at mercedes than volkswagen executives and tennessee officials did ahead of the vote at the chattanooga plant. forging a close relationship between mercedes’ german works council and the uaw has proved elusive. on the other hand, a core of mercedes alabama employees has proved particularly adept at organizing. they set up a dense network in the plant based on “walkers”   that is, people whose jobs require them to move about the plant. they have also summarized their circumstances with snappy lines that have gone viral. for example, longtime mercedes employee jeremy kimbrell declared “we are going to end the alabama discount”   a reference to the lower pay they receive compared to their peers in michigan and other more established automotive manufacturing hubs. mercedes management in alabama has also made a series of moves that have enraged and emboldened the workers at that plant. it let pay stagnate for many years and instituted a deeply unpopular two tier wage structure in 2020, which management quickly undid last year after the uaw’s successful strikes. mercedes management judged the anti union campaign to be going so badly that it fired the plant’s chief executive officer, michael göbel, and replaced him with the current vice president of operations, federico kochlowski, just two weeks before voting was set to begin. sacking an unpopular plant manager is a common union avoidance tactic, much like firing the head coach of a poorly performing sports team to appease fans. vw did it in 2019. the outcome of the vote at the mercedes plant is harder to predict than it was for the volkswagen factory because mercedes has never had a union recognition election before. one thing is certain, however: the uaw’s organizing campaign is not ending there. fain has repeatedly declared that the uaw intends to get all u.s. autoworkers to join the union   potentially doubling the ranks of its members in the industry. there are about a dozen more campaigns underway that could follow the vote at mercedes. at least 30% of the workers at toyota’s missouri engine plant and hyundai’s factory in alabama have already embraced the uaw   a key first step toward a formal election. stephen j. silvia, professor of international relations, american university school of international service this article is republished from the conversation under a creative commons license. read the original article. copyright © 2025 american university.

copyright 2025 the associated press. all rights reserved. a decisive vote against the united auto workers at two mercedes factories in alabama sidetracked the union’s grand plan to sign up workers at nonunion plants mainly in the south. but president shawn fain said the uaw will return to mercedes and will press on with efforts to organize about 150,000 workers at more than a dozen auto factories across the nation. (ap video shot by: kimberly chandler) david johnston, right, a worker at mercedes, thanks uaw president shawn fain following a press conference in tuscaloosa, alabama on may 17, 2024, after workers at two alabama mercedes benz factories voted overwhelmingly against joining the united auto workers union. (ap photo/kim chandler) united auto workers president shawn fain speaks to reporters in tuscaloosa, ala., on friday, may 17, 2024, after workers at two alabama mercedes benz factories voted overwhelmingly against joining the uaw. (ap photo/kim chandler) file   united auto workers union supporters attend a rally, saturday, may 4, 2024, in birmingham, ala. the united auto workers union faces the latest test of its ambitious plan to unionize auto plants in the historically nonunion south when a vote ends friday, may 17, at two mercedes benz factories near tuscaloosa, ala. (ap photo/kim chandler, file) file   the mercedes emblem is displayed outside the mercedes benz u.s. international, inc. plant, sunday, may 5, 2024, in tuscaloosa, ala. the united auto workers union faces the latest test of its ambitious plan to unionize auto plants in the historically nonunion south when a vote ends friday, may 17, at two mercedes benz factories near tuscaloosa. (ap photo/kim chandler, file) mercedes worker rick webster watches as votes from the union election are reported at the united auto workers union field office on may 17, 2024, in tuscaloosa, ala. voting at two mercedes factories comes a month after the uaw scored a breakthrough victory at volkswagen’s assembly factory in chattanooga, tennessee. (ap photo/kim chandler) uaw president shawn fain, center, speaks with mercedes workers in tuscaloosa, alabama on may 17, 2024 after workers at two alabama mercedes benz factories voted overwhelmingly against joining the united auto workers union. (ap photo/kim chandler) a decisive vote against the united auto workers at two mercedes factories in alabama sidetracked the union’s grand plan to sign up workers at nonunion plants mainly in the south. but president shawn fain said the uaw will return to mercedes and will press on with efforts to organize about 150,000 workers at more than a dozen auto factories across the nation. (ap video shot by: kimberly chandler) david johnston, right, a worker at mercedes, thanks uaw president shawn fain following a press conference in tuscaloosa, alabama on may 17, 2024, after workers at two alabama mercedes benz factories voted overwhelmingly against joining the united auto workers union. (ap photo/kim chandler) david johnston, right, a worker at mercedes, thanks uaw president shawn fain following a press conference in tuscaloosa, alabama on may 17, 2024, after workers at two alabama mercedes benz factories voted overwhelmingly against joining the united auto workers union. (ap photo/kim chandler) united auto workers president shawn fain speaks to reporters in tuscaloosa, ala., on friday, may 17, 2024, after workers at two alabama mercedes benz factories voted overwhelmingly against joining the uaw. (ap photo/kim chandler) united auto workers president shawn fain speaks to reporters in tuscaloosa, ala., on friday, may 17, 2024, after workers at two alabama mercedes benz factories voted overwhelmingly against joining the uaw. (ap photo/kim chandler) file   united auto workers union supporters attend a rally, saturday, may 4, 2024, in birmingham, ala. the united auto workers union faces the latest test of its ambitious plan to unionize auto plants in the historically nonunion south when a vote ends friday, may 17, at two mercedes benz factories near tuscaloosa, ala. (ap photo/kim chandler, file) file   united auto workers union supporters attend a rally, saturday, may 4, 2024, in birmingham, ala. the united auto workers union faces the latest test of its ambitious plan to unionize auto plants in the historically nonunion south when a vote ends friday, may 17, at two mercedes benz factories near tuscaloosa, ala. (ap photo/kim chandler, file) file   the mercedes emblem is displayed outside the mercedes benz u.s. international, inc. plant, sunday, may 5, 2024, in tuscaloosa, ala. the united auto workers union faces the latest test of its ambitious plan to unionize auto plants in the historically nonunion south when a vote ends friday, may 17, at two mercedes benz factories near tuscaloosa. (ap photo/kim chandler, file) file   the mercedes emblem is displayed outside the mercedes benz u.s. international, inc. plant, sunday, may 5, 2024, in tuscaloosa, ala. the united auto workers union faces the latest test of its ambitious plan to unionize auto plants in the historically nonunion south when a vote ends friday, may 17, at two mercedes benz factories near tuscaloosa. (ap photo/kim chandler, file) mercedes worker rick webster watches as votes from the union election are reported at the united auto workers union field office on may 17, 2024, in tuscaloosa, ala. voting at two mercedes factories comes a month after the uaw scored a breakthrough victory at volkswagen’s assembly factory in chattanooga, tennessee. (ap photo/kim chandler) mercedes worker rick webster watches as votes from the union election are reported at the united auto workers union field office on may 17, 2024, in tuscaloosa, ala. voting at two mercedes factories comes a month after the uaw scored a breakthrough victory at volkswagen’s assembly factory in chattanooga, tennessee. (ap photo/kim chandler) uaw president shawn fain, center, speaks with mercedes workers in tuscaloosa, alabama on may 17, 2024 after workers at two alabama mercedes benz factories voted overwhelmingly against joining the united auto workers union. (ap photo/kim chandler) uaw president shawn fain, center, speaks with mercedes workers in tuscaloosa, alabama on may 17, 2024 after workers at two alabama mercedes benz factories voted overwhelmingly against joining the united auto workers union. (ap photo/kim chandler) tuscaloosa, ala. (ap)   a decisive vote against the united auto workers union at two mercedes factories in alabama on friday sidetracked the uaw’s grand plan to sign up workers at nonunion plants mainly in the south. but newly elected president shawn fain said the union will return to mercedes and will press on with efforts to organize about 150,000 workers at more than a dozen auto factories across the nation. employees at mercedes battery and assembly plants near tuscaloosa voted 56% against the union in an election run by the national labor relations board. the vote count handed the union a serious setback a month after the uaw scored a breakthrough victory at volkswagen’s 4,300 worker assembly factory in chattanooga, tennessee. the nlrb’s final tally showed a vote of 2,642 against the union, with 2,045 in favor. nearly 93% of workers eligible to vote cast ballots. marick masters, a professor emeritus at wayne state university’s business school who has long studied the union, said the uaw will have to analyze what went wrong and apply those lessons as it moves to other nonunion factories largely in the south. “they’re going to have to go back to the drawing board,” said masters, who added that the union will need to ask itself if it needs to get more workers to sign cards seeking a union election before calling for a vote. the union may also want to respond faster to management opposition, he said. “do they need to assess more realistically the actual level of grievances and how passionately workers are to stay committed to a union organizing effort in the face of opposition?” masters asked. fain assured workers that the union will return, telling them the loss was a bump in the road, not failure. he said he told company officials the fight was not over. “we’ve been here before, and we’re going to continue on and we’re going to win,” he said. “and i think we’ll have a different result down the road, and i look forward to that.” the nlrb said both sides have five business days to file objections to the election, and the union must wait a year before seeking another vote at mercedes. whether the union challenges the election will be up to its lawyers, said fain, who accused the company of “egregious illegal behavior.” the union already has filed unfair labor practice complaints against the company alleging that management and anti union consultants tried to intimidate workers. mercedes has denied the allegations. “obviously we’re following through on complaints, both here and in germany” where mercedes is headquartered, fain said. a big difference between the loss at mercedes and the overwhelming win at volkswagen, fain said, was that mercedes actively fought the union. “obviously, volkswagen was more neutral, and that wasn’t the case here,” he said of mercedes, which he accused of holding captive meetings of workers to campaign against the uaw. in a statement friday, mercedes said it looks forward to “continuing to work directly with our team members so they can build superior vehicles for the world.” the company said its focus is on providing a safe and supportive work environment. alabama gov. kay ivey, who has campaigned against the union, wrote in a post on x that auto manufacturing is one of the state’s crown jewel industries, and the state is committed to keeping it that way. “alabama is not michigan, and we are not the sweet home to the uaw,” she wrote. “we urge the uaw to respect the results of this secret ballot election.” worker melissa howell, who opposed joining the union, said she and other employees realized that the uaw was making lofty promises that it couldn’t put in writing, including pay of $40 per hour, pensions and better benefits. “they kept repeating over and over, ‘you’re not going to lose anything. we’re going to start with what you have right now,’” howell said. “that’s when we really started letting people know, ‘hey, hold up. it’s all negotiable.’” but kirk garner, 60, who works in quality control at the mercedes assembly plant and supported joining the union, said workers were shown an anti union video every day ahead of the vote, while union opponents targeted employees who they thought could be persuaded to vote no. “i’m disappointed in the people that flipped and believed the persuaders,” garner said. the uaw won at volkswagen largely because of the prospect of substantially higher wages and other benefits. contracts reached with the detroit three automakers, general motors, stellantis and ford, brought 33% raises between now and 2028 when the deals expire, giving the union a large recruiting tool. before vw, the united auto workers had little success at nonunion auto plants in the south, where workers have been much less drawn to organized labor than in the traditional union strongholds of michigan and other industrial midwestern states. a victory at the mercedes plants would have represented a huge plum for the union, which has long struggled to overcome the enticements that southern states have bestowed on foreign automakers, including tax breaks, lower labor costs and a nonunion workforce. it turns out that the union had a tougher time in alabama than in tennessee, where the uaw narrowly lost two previous votes and was familiar with workers at the factory. a previous version of this story incorrectly referred to mercedes employee kirk garner as rick garner. krisher reported from detroit. ap business writer wyatte grantham philips in new york contributed to this report. copyright 2025 the associated press. all rights reserved.

supported by the united automobile workers union has been pressing the automaker, which owns chrysler and jeep, to revive the plant in belvidere, ill. by neal e. boudette the united automobile workers union asked a federal labor regulator to conduct an election at a factory ford jointly owns with a south korean battery company. by neal e. boudette government unions, service worker unions and industrial unions all face possible repercussions from donald trump’s victory, but not necessarily all the same kind. by jonathan weisman and benjamin oreskes a pesar de que trump se ha opuesto a las políticas que favorecen a los vehículos eléctricos, si llega a la presidencia podría aliviar el escrutinio regulatorio de tesla o proteger los créditos y subsidios lucrativos. by jack ewing although donald trump has opposed policies that favor electric cars, if he becomes president he could ease regulatory scrutiny of tesla or protect lucrative credits and subsidies. by jack ewing scaremongering in michigan, an ad claims that the vice president wants to “end all gas powered cars” and that her policies would lead to “massive layoffs.” by maggie haberman the president introduced his no. 2, kamala harris, at a labor day event in pittsburgh as the democrats campaigned in crucial midwestern “blue wall” states. by jonathan weisman and nicholas nehamas last week’s democratic national convention surfaced differences over the war in gaza that could widen fissures between labor activists and union officials. by noam scheiber monday’s headliners include president biden and the first lady, jill biden, along with hillary clinton, who was defeated by donald j. trump in the 2016 election. by neil vigdor the united automobile workers union accused the pair of threatening workers during their livestreamed conversation on monday. by tim balk
supported by after mercedes workers voted against joining the united automobile workers, the union will have less momentum as it campaigns to organize southern factories. by neal e. boudette after suffering a setback at two mercedes benz plants in alabama on friday, the united automobile workers union’s efforts to organize other auto factories in the south are likely to slow and could struggle to make headway. about 56 percent of the mercedes workers who voted rejected the u.a.w. in an election after the union chalked up two major wins this year. in april, workers at a volkswagen plant in tennessee voted to join the union, the first large nonunion auto plant in the south to do so. weeks later, the union negotiated a new contract bringing significant pay and benefit improvements for its members at several north carolina factories owned by daimler truck. “losing at mercedes is not death for the union,” said arthur wheaton, director of labor studies at cornell university school of industrial and labor relations. “it just means they’ll have less confidence going to the next plant. the u.a.w. is in it for the long run. i don’t think they’re going to stop just because they lost here.” since its founding in 1935, the u.a.w. has almost exclusively represented workers employed by the three michigan based automakers: general motors, ford motor, and chrysler, now part of stellantis. and it has long struggled to make headway at plants owned by foreign manufacturers, especially in southern states where anti union sentiment runs deep. workers at the volkswagen plant had voted against being represented by the u.a.w. twice by narrow margins before the recent union win there. an effort a decade ago to organize one of the mercedes plants failed to build enough support for an election. harley shaiken, a professor emeritus at the university of california, berkeley, noted that broad union organizing efforts seldom proceeded smoothly. in the 1930s, the u.a.w. won recognition at g.m. and chrysler but struggled at ford, which continued employing nonunion workers for a few years.

 in a nationally watched vote that hints at the future of organized labor   and the challenge for union activists hoping for inroads in the south   workers at two mercedes benz plants in alabama have rejected membership in the united auto workers. with ‘no’ votes at 56% of the total, the 5,000 employees at a huge auto assembly plant and a smaller, battery pack factory east of tuscaloosa have slammed the brakes on the momentum of an energetic uaw push to unionize the auto industry in the mostly nonunion south. “i don’t know if it was totally unexpected   there was a lot of optimism   but the south is pretty hard to organize,” said labor historian erik loomis of the university of rhode island.