The Detroit-based United Auto Workers (UAW) union took a blustering loss after the results of a high-visibility unionization vote at the Vance, Alabama Mercedes-Benz manufacturing facility were counted. According to the final vote certified by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), 2,045 votes were cast in favor of unionization and 2,642 votes were cast against.
The conclusion to the months-long effort by the union to expand further into Southern states marks a major blow in a strategy that found success at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee last month. Shortly after, UAW president Shawn Fain said his union was facing a much more intense battle in Alabama against Governor Kay Ivey, the Business Council of Alabama, and other high-profile officials who sounded the alarm about the runaway consequences of union expansion.
After the vote, Governor Ivey said Alabama’s “crown jewel” industry remains safe from out-of-state influences.
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“The workers in Vance have spoken, and they have spoken clearly! Alabama is not Michigan, and we are not the Sweet Home to the UAW. We urge the UAW to respect the results of this secret ballot election,” Ivey said on Friday.
“I am proud Alabama is home to some of the greatest automakers in the world, and I am grateful to these companies who provide good pay, benefits and opportunities to many men and women across our state. As I have said, automotive manufacturing is one of Alabama’s crown jewel industries and number one in the country, and we are committed to keeping it that way.”
Another Alabama official who took a major swing at the UAW, Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives, Nathaniel Ledbetter said after the vote, “thank you to the good people at Mercedes.”
https://twitter.com/RepLedbetter/status/1791567325394522405
The Business Council of Alabama, who represents a collective voice of Alabama companies, which includes Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc., released a statement after the vote concluded.
“Today, after the conclusion of a week-long election at Mercedes, I am proud to say that BCA and our allies were successful in our efforts to keep the UAW out of Alabama,” BCA President Helena Duncan said.
“I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Governor Kay Ivey for her support and commitment to the prosperity of our state. When the Governor speaks, Alabama listens, and this victory would not be possible without her leadership.”
“The employees at the Mercedes facility in Vance have spoken, and the right to work without strong-arm influence or undue pressure from the UAW has carried the day.”
In the final days of the campaign, UAW resulted to misinformation tactics, twisting legendary head coach Nick Saban’s previous comments and likeness against him to claim his support for their effort. The tactic even drew clarification from Saban himself, who asked they remove the video from circulation.
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In March, attacks escalated between UAW boss Shawn Fain and Alabama leadership, when he said the vote at Mercedes is part of a broader effort to exert union “muscle” into Alabama.
“The company, the Governor, and the Business Council are trying to make you afraid to stand up, because you are so close to realizing a life many thought wasn’t possible. Mercedes is using fear, uncertainty, and division because they are afraid. Mercedes is afraid of you having a voice in your work life. Mercedes is afraid of sharing any control over your work lives,” Fain said.
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“And it’s not just about the vote. True victory is not just winning a vote. We want to win big on the day of the election, but we also need to build that organizing muscle, that unity, and that determination to win big in a union contract,” he told the crowd.
It’s unclear where the UAW will go next, however it signals a potential drawdown of their efforts at the Hyundai plant in Montgomery, Alabama, where they say at least 30% of workers have signed union cards and can petition federal officials for a vote. After a decisive failure at Mercedes, their playbook is in question, Alabama employees expressed their latest distrust in union promises, and state leaders are energized by the results.
Grayson Everett is the state and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @Grayson270
