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DETROIT – After losing a vote to unionize at Mercedes-Benz in Alabama earlier this month, the United Auto Workers (UAW) is seeking a new election, according to a petition filed Friday with the National Labor Relations Board that charged illegal intimidation of workers by the automaker.
The UAW accuses Mercedes-Benz of engaging “in a relentless anti-union campaign” prior to the vote that included the firing of pro-union employees and frequently holding captive audience meetings to spread antiunion views. “What that tells us is that in a fair fight, where Mercedes is held accountable to following the law, workers will win their union,” the union said in a statement.
About 56 percent of the nearly 5,000 workers at the Vance, AL plant and a nearby battery plant rejected unionization. Voting began on May 13 and wrapped up May 17. The vote was 2,642 against and 2,045 in favor.
In April, workers at a Volkswagen factory in Tennessee voted 73 percent in favor of unionizing.
Mercedes-Benz responded, “We sincerely hoped the UAW would respect our Team Members’ decision.”
