At the Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama, a crucial decision is being made by the workers as they have started voting to join the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. The UAW is trying to organise labor in the traditionally anti-union American South. The potential success of the union drive at the Mercedes plant, after a recent victory at a Volkswagen factory in Tennessee, is very important for the future of the UAW’s mission to expand its membership across the nation, with the numbers constantly going down.
Nevertheless, the Mercedes campaign has been characterised by the tension that has been raised to the peak. The company has consistently contested the unionisation, spreading fliers and putting up the signage that workers should not accept the union. Besides, Mercedes hired anti-union firms to sabotage the workers’ support of the UAW.
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Mercedes answered the accusations of the opposition of the union organization, by denying any wrongdoing, and at the same time, it emphasised its responsibility to respect the employees’ right to the union. The company stressed the importance of its contribution to the establishment of a democratic, open and transparent voting system, which enables the workers to vote in secret and make informed choices.
More than 5,200 employees at the assembly plant and battery factory adjacent to it are involved in the voting process, and the final results are expected by the end of the week. UAW President Shawn Fain has the strategy of the expansion of the union in his hands. He concentrated first on getting the good labor contracts in Detroit and then the non-unionised workers in the South. The recent successful talks in Detroit, that resulted in the substantial wage hikes and benefits, have the UAW’s credibility among the possible members.
Workers at the Mercedes plant have used the Detroit contracts as proof that the company does not care about the wage, hours and benefits of its workers demonstrating the need for the union representation. Mercedes has carried out a strong anti-union campaign, which is more than the ones carried out by Volkswagen during the same unionisation process. Significantly, this is the first union election at the Mercedes plant which makes it different from the previous attempts at unionisation at Volkswagen.