OEMs

Mercedes-Benz workers in Alabama make push to join UAW

Written by Ethan Bernard

January 11, 2024

Employees at the Mercedes-Benz plant near Tuscaloosa, Ala., have kicked off their public campaign to join the United Auto Workers (UAW) union.

“Over 30% of the plant’s workforce have signed union authorization cards,” the UAW said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that this marks a “major milestone” in unionizing with the UAW.

The UAW noted that this comes one month after workers at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., reached the 30% threshold and went public with their attempt to join the union. Additionally, it “comes just six weeks after non-union autoworkers across the nation started organizing to join the UAW,” the union said.

In December, UAW President Shawn Fain outlined the union’s strategy to unionize non-union auto workers in the US.

Ethan Bernard

Ethan Bernard is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. He previously worked for American Metal Market as a copy editor in the New York office for two years starting in 2008. Later, he copy edited AMM’s monthly magazine on a freelance basis from 2015 until 2017. With experience in financial copywriting and textbook publishing, he holds a BA in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and an MFA. in Creative Writing from New York University. He can be reached at ethan@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7871.

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