Mercedes workers in Alabama face anti-union message ‘barrage’ before election
United Auto Workers union sees two of German-owned carmaker’s plants as key in effort to unionize industry in southern US
The United Auto Workers (UAW) union is setting its sights on its next big union victory in the south, at two Mercedes-Benz plants in Vance and Woodstock, Alabama.
Coming off the historic union election win at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, 5,200 workers are to begin voting in their union election from 13 May to 17 May. The UAW’s recent win at Volkswagen to represent about 4,300 workers was one of the biggest union election wins in manufacturing in the past 16 years.
“It’s just time for a change,” said Kay Finklea, a quality inspector who has worked at the Mercedes-Benz plant for 23 years.
Finklea said that the pay, benefits, and work hours had stagnated or worsened since she started and the balance between work and life had deteriorated.
“They say we’re supposed to work 10 hours a day, but they actually work us 12 hours a day, so by the time you get home, you’re exhausted, beat, and you don’t have time to do anything but get a quick bite, shower and lay down to get ready to wake up and do it all over again,” Finklea added.
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