The United Auto Workers wants a new vote at Alabama’s Mercedes-Benz factory.
The union is petitioning the National Labor Relations Board to reject last week’s union election at the German automaker’s Vance plant and order a new election.
A spokesperson for the NLRB confirmed the union’s objections. The NLRB regional director will review the objections and could hold a hearing to determine if a second election should be held.
Earlier this month, the union filed unfair labor practice allegations against Mercedes.
The UAW contends that the company violated labor law when it fired four pro-union workers and allowed anti-union employees to solicit support on company time, while at the same time preventing union supporters from doing the same.
A Mercedes spokesperson said more than 90 percent of the plant’s workforce “made their voices heard through a secret-ballot vote and the majority indicated they are not interested in being represented by the UAW for purposes of collective bargaining.
“Our goal throughout this process was to ensure every eligible Team Member had the opportunity to participate in a fair election. We sincerely hoped the UAW would respect our Team Members’ decision. Throughout the election, we worked with the NLRB to adhere to its guidelines and we will continue to do so as we work through this process. Meanwhile, we will work directly with our Team Members on measures to ensure we remain an employer of choice and provide a safe and supportive work environment. We want to continue to build on and enhance the success this plant has achieved over the past 25+ years to continue building superior vehicles for the world while also focusing on our people.”
Workers last week at Vance and the company’s Bibb County battery plant voted 2,045 to 2,642 against UAW representation — a margin of 597 votes.
In a statement, the union said the more than 2,000 workers at the plant voted yes after “an unprecedented, illegal anti-union campaign waged against them by their employer.”
“What that tells us is that in a fair fight, where Mercedes is held accountable to following the law, workers will win their union,” the UAW stated. “All these workers ever wanted was a fair shot at having a voice on the job and a say in their working conditions. And that’s what we’re asking for here. Let’s get a vote at Mercedes in Alabama where the company isn’t allowed to fire people, isn’t allowed to intimidate people, and isn’t allowed to break the law and their own corporate code, and let the workers decide.”
It’s not the first time a union has attempted to get the results of a workplace election thrown out.
Workers at Amazon’s Bessemer fulfillment center voted down joining the Retail, Wholesale & Department Store Union (RWDSU) in 2021 in a mail-in election over several weeks, but the result was set aside by the NLRB after it found Amazon interfered in the election process. That came after a contentious campaign during COVID restrictions, which drew celebrities, politicians and even the attention of the Biden Administration.
Ballots in the second election were tallied on March 31, 2022, its results still the subject of a challenge.
