Nora Eckert and David Shepardson
DETROIT/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Workers at the Mercedes Benz (ETR:) plant in Vance, Alabama, have petitioned U.S. regulators to force an election to join the United Auto Workers union, the union said on Friday.
The SUV plant became the second in recent weeks to file an election petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Reuters previously reported that Mercedes workers in Alabama would file an election petition with the NLRB as early as this week.
The NBRB said it plans to hold a hearing on April 15 if the parties do not agree on an election schedule.
The UAW said a “supermajority” of the 5,200 eligible Mercedes workers at the plant and a nearby plant in Woodstock, Alabama, have signed cards to join the union. The UAW hopes to have a vote by early May.
A Mercedes-Benz (OTC:) spokesman said the automaker respects employees’ right to make “the choice whether to join a union, and we look forward to participating in the election process to ensure” workers have access to information to make informed choices.
The election comes after months of organizing efforts by more than a dozen non-union, foreign-owned automakers such as Hyundai Motor (OTC:) and Toyota Motor (NYSE:), as well as electric vehicle manufacturers such as Tesla (NASDAQ:) and Rivian (NASDAQ:).
After securing record contracts for the Detroit Three – General Motors (NYSE:), Ford (NYSE:) and Stellantis (NYSE:) – UAW President Sean Fein vowed to achieve a goal that the union group has failed repeatedly over the past several decades: welcoming a new automaker in their trade union ranks.
The UAW’s latest efforts come at a time when it has an ally in the White House. President Joe Biden, who last fall joined a UAW picket in Michigan, a key battleground state in this fall’s elections, has supported UAW efforts to organize nonunion automakers.
In Chattanooga, Tennessee, workers at the Volkswagen (ETR:) plant were the first to petition for a UAW vote, which is expected to be completed by April 19. UAW organizers lost votes at the plant twice, narrowly missing a majority in 2014. and 2019. There have also been failed attempts to build factories owned by Japanese automaker Nissan (OTC:).
Union officials said in documents filed with federal regulators that some automakers are retaliating against workers or obstructing their attempts to organize. A labor group on Wednesday brought charges against Mercedes for violating Germany’s new law on global supply chain practices, which prohibits German companies from ignoring workers’ rights to form unions.
The company responded to some of the union’s allegations, saying they were untrue. It also states that the company recognizes the rights of its employees to organize.