Mercedes-Benz workers vote against unionizing Alabama plant, halting UAW’s streak : NPR

Mercedes-Benz employees voted towards union illustration in Alabama, a defeat for the United Auto Staff.

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

United Auto Staff had been on a roll till yesterday. The union had hoped to observe up final month’s historic victory to unionize a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga with one other win in Alabama, however a majority of Mercedes-Benz employees voted no. Stephan Bisaha of the Gulf States Newsroom was there to witness the UAW’s main setback.

STEPHAN BISAHA, BYLINE: You would really feel the strain on the union corridor, only a few miles away from the 2 Mercedes crops in Alabama. Staff and supporters had their heads buried of their telephones, hitting refresh, hoping the plant voted to unionize. As an alternative, it confirmed a long-held fact.

STEPHEN SILVIA: It is vitally arduous to unionize within the South.

BISAHA: That is American College professor Stephen Silvia, and he is aware of that fact higher than most. He is written a whole e-book in regards to the UAW and its many failures within the South. And he might odor historical past was about to repeat itself.

SILVIA: Properly, you had been on the Volkswagen one, proper?

BISAHA: Oh, yeah.

Alabama’s neighbor, Tennessee, had simply seen its Volkswagen plant unionize with an awesome sure vote simply final month.

SILVIA: Folks had been very giddy, proper?

BISAHA: Yup.

SILVIA: How a lot giddiness do you see?

BISAHA: Yeah, not a lot giddiness on this Alabama union corridor. The Mercedes crops had been a agency no – 56% of votes had been towards the union.

Are you shocked by this?

ROB LETT: I’m, truly.

BISAHA: Rob Lett campaigned for the union. He was standing outdoors the union corridor because the loss settled in. He began the day assured. In spite of everything, so most of the roughly 5,000 employees at these two crops appeared enthusiastic about unionizing.

LETT: The individuals – myself and others I interacted with – appeared very enthused about attending to the purpose the place they had been truly going to have the ability to vote lastly.

BISAHA: Clearly, a variety of these employees flipped from sure to no. And Rick Webster blames the relentless anti-union messaging from his employer, Mercedes.

RICK WEBSTER: We had been getting textual content messages, emails. We had been having to sit down by way of conferences on daily basis, watching a video or one thing of that nature, and it was all anti-union. And truthfully, over the past couple of weeks, it is simply been all people’s simply sick and bored with listening to about it.

BISAHA: The factor is, Mercedes has lengthy been an amazing place to work in Alabama – nice advantages, high pay. However within the final 5 years, employees had seen their pay slip behind. So when final fall, the UAW began successful file contracts towards the big automakers up north, many Mercedes employees wished to affix the union. Mercedes heard that and determined to up its pay. UAW president, Shawn Fain, calls that…

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SHAWN FAIN: The UAW bump. , Mercedes is a greater place due to this marketing campaign and these brave employees.

BISAHA: Mercedes even changed its CEO to ship a message to employees that they are keen to vary. However Fain says the anti-union marketing campaign by Mercedes violated labor legal guidelines.

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FAIN: This firm engaged in egregious unlawful conduct. The federal authorities and the German authorities are at present investigating Mercedes for the intimidation and harassment that they inflicted on their very own employees.

BISAHA: Fain didn’t say if the union would problem the outcomes of the election. Professor and UAW historian Stephen Silvia, took a second to think about what title he’d give this newest UAW Southern failure.

SILVIA: I might name the chapter of this one at first you do not succeed.

BISAHA: At first you do not succeed – legally, the UAW has to attend a full yr earlier than attempting a second time for a vote at these Mercedes crops. Within the meantime, it is setting its sights on one other auto plant within the South – Hyundai in Montgomery, Ala. For NPR Information, I am Stephan Bisaha in Birmingham, Ala.

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