UAW loses union vote at Mercedes plants in Alabama

Workers at two Mercedes-Benz plants near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, voted on Friday against allowing the United Auto Workers union to represent them, a stunning blow to the union’s campaign to gain ground in the South, where it has traditionally been weak.

The defeat came after Kay Ivey, Alabama’s governor, and other Republican leaders argued that a pro-union vote would stifle investment that has turned the state into a major auto producer. The union’s setback reduces its chances of being able to organize workers quickly at Hyundai and Honda, which also have large plants in Alabama.

The vote had national significance as a test of how well the UAW could build on a recent string of victories and make strides in a state whose elected officials were hostile to organized labor. The union said it wants to organize every car manufacturer in the United States, and expand its membership to include employees of companies such as Toyota and Tesla.

But a loss at the Mercedes plants will almost certainly slow the union’s campaign and perhaps force it to do more work to secure worker support before seeking elections at other auto plants. Union leaders will want to spend time figuring out how best to counter the messages and tactics of local legislators and corporate executives.

“This loss hurts,” Shawn Fine, UAW president, said at the union’s local chapter headquarters down the road from the Mercedes plants in Vance and Woodstock, Ala.

He added: “But most of us have lost elections in our lives.” “We’re learning from it. We’re moving forward, and that’s what we intend to do.”

Mercedes workers voted 56% to 44% against joining the union, according to the National Labor Relations Board, which oversaw the election. Nearly 4,700 votes were cast, representing a large majority of the 5,075 employees eligible to vote.

Auto industry executives and conservative lawmakers will likely study the vote at Mercedes closely to see how best to fend off the UAW and other unions in future contests and deter union campaigns from the beginning.

“The workers at Vance have spoken, and they have spoken clearly!” Ms. Ivey said in a statement. “Alabama is not Michigan, and we are not the home sweet home of the UAW.”

The South became an important battleground. States like Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee attract much of the billions of dollars that automakers and suppliers are investing in electric vehicle and battery plants. The UAW wants to represent workers at those plants.

Mercedes produces SUVs in Vance and batteries for electric cars in Woodstock. Voting has been ongoing throughout the week at the two factories.

“We thank all team members who asked questions, participated in discussions, and ultimately made their voices heard on this important issue,” the company said in a statement on Friday.

In a campaign conducted largely by word of mouth, union activists argued that in addition to improved wages and benefits, the UAW would protect Mercedes workers from sudden changes to their work schedules and long shifts, including on weekends.

““If we hadn’t built those cars, you wouldn’t have the money it puts in your pocket,” said Kay Finkley, who works in quality control at Mercedes and campaigned for the union. “So treat us with dignity, treat us with respect, and pay us.”

But activists acknowledged that many workers who were dissatisfied with working conditions at Mercedes were also reluctant to join the union, swayed by warnings from company executives and politicians that membership would lead to onerous dues and a loss of control over their jobs.

Mercedes tried hard to obstruct the union. Last month, in an apparent attempt to address employee complaints, the company made changes to local management, appointing Federico Koschlowski as CEO of the German company’s unit in the United States.

Mr. Kochlowski, who worked at Mercedes for about 20 years in various manufacturing positions in China, Mexico and the United States, acknowledged problems at the Alabama plants and promised improvements.

“I understand that many things are not right,” he said in an interview. video Published by Mercedes online. “Give me a chance.”

Bart Moore, who works as a materials handler at Mercedes delivering parts to the assembly line, said he hoped Mr. Kochlowski would keep his promises. “We’ll see what he comes up with,” Mr. Moore said. “You never know.”

The UAW filed six counts of unfair labor practices against Mercedes with the Labor Relations Board, saying the company disciplined employees for discussing unionization at work, prevented organizers from distributing union materials, conducted worker surveillance and fired workers who supported the union.

“This company, like most others, operated by the same playbook of fear, threats and intimidation“,” Mr. Fine said on Friday.

Mercedes denies these allegations.

Previous attempts by the UAW to represent workers at Mercedes and other automakers in the South have failed. But the UAW is stronger than it has been in years after winning a union vote last month at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee where it previously lost two elections. The union also got huge pay raises last year for workers at Ford Motor Co., General Motors and Stellantis, the parent company of Chrysler, Jeep and Ram.

Mercedes’ campaign against the union “had a much greater impact than we expected,” said Robert Litt, who works at the Woodstock battery plant and campaigned for the union. But he said the union would try again.

“It doesn’t change our resolve,” Mr. Litt said of the loss. “Fire is there for change.”