Nora Eckert
DETROIT (Reuters) – The United Auto Workers (UAW) union is seeking new elections at the Mercedes-Benz (OTC:) plant in Alabama after losing there last week, according to a petition filed on Friday with the National Labor Relations Board. Board.
According to the lawsuit, the union accused Mercedes of engaging in “a relentless anti-union campaign,” including firing pro-union employees and holding frequent public meetings to spread anti-union views.
“We sincerely hoped that the UAW would respect the decisions of our team members. We have worked with the NLRB throughout the election to adhere to its guidelines, and we will continue to do so throughout this process,” a Mercedes spokesperson said.
The UAW lost after about 56% of the nearly 5,000 workers at the Vance, Alabama, plant and a nearby battery plant voted against unionization, a heavy defeat for the union that won a historic victory at the Volkswagen plant last month (ETR 🙂 in Tennessee.
In a statement, the UAW said Mercedes’ attempts to influence the vote constituted an unfair labor practice and interfered with the free choice of employees, necessitating a new election.