Mercedes-Benz workers in Alabama have voted against union representation by the United Auto Workers (UAW), as reported by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Friday. This decision is a significant setback for the UAW's efforts, especially after their recent success in organizing approximately 4,330 Volkswagen plant workers in Tennessee last month. Voting commenced on Monday and concluded on Friday.

The unionization effort failed with 56% of the vote, translating to 2,642 workers casting ballots against the UAW, according to the NLRB, which supervised the election. Over 90% of the 5,075 eligible Mercedes-Benz workers participated in the vote. Although 51 ballots were challenged and not counted, they were not sufficient to alter the election outcome. Additionally, five ballots were voided.

The union and the company have five business days to file any objections to the election, including claims of alleged interference, as stipulated by the NLRB. If no objections are raised, the election results will be certified, and the union will have to wait a year to file for another union election for a similar bargaining unit.

In a statement, Mercedes-Benz expressed their anticipation of continuing direct collaboration with their team members to ensure Mercedes-Benz US International remains an employer of choice and a recommended workplace for friends and family.

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain and UAW Secretary-Treasurer Margaret Mock led a march outside Stellantis' Ram 1500 plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan, following the union's call for a strike at the plant on October 23, 2023. This image underscores the ongoing efforts and challenges faced by the union in their broader campaign.

This loss is a significant blow to the UAW, particularly amid their unprecedented organizing drive launched late last year, targeting 13 non-union automakers in the U.S. This drive followed securing record contracts with Detroit automakers Ford Motor, General Motors, and Stellantis, which included substantial wage increases, reinstatement of cost-of-living adjustments, and other benefits.

UAW President Shawn Fain, while acknowledging the unfavorable outcome of the Mercedes-Benz vote, emphasized the effort's value, describing the vote as a "bump in the road" rather than a failure. "While this loss stings, we’re going to keep our heads up. These workers have nothing to do but be proud of the effort they put forth and what they’ve done," he stated during a media conference on Friday. "We fought the good fight and we’re going to continue forward. Ultimately, these workers here are going to win."

The Mercedes-Benz vote was anticipated to be more challenging for the union compared to the Volkswagen plant in Tennessee, where the union had already established a presence despite two failed organizing drives over the past decade and faced less opposition from the automaker.

Stephen Silvia, author of “The UAW’s Southern Gamble: Organizing Workers at Foreign-Owned Vehicle Plants,” noted that Mercedes-Benz replaced the plant’s leader weeks ahead of the election, a common strategy among companies to promise workers changes at their facilities to deter union organizing efforts. "Companies do anti-union campaigns because they can be effective, and I think this one was effective," said Silvia, a professor at American University in Washington, D.C. "A common piece of an anti-union campaign is firing the plant manager ... That seems to have persuaded enough of the workers to vote against the union."

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, who was among six Republican governors to condemn the union’s organizing drive, praised the vote's outcome. "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," she said.

Mercedes-Benz’s Tuscaloosa plant, located about 60 miles southwest of Birmingham, has produced over 4 million vehicles since its opening in 1997, including 295,000 vehicles in 2023. The Alabama plant currently manufactures vehicles such as the gas-powered GLE and GLS Maybach SUVs, as well as the all-electric EQS and EQE SUVs.

The NLRB recently reported that it continues to process and investigate several open unfair labor practice charges filed by the UAW against automakers, including six charges against Mercedes-Benz since March. Fain indicated on Friday that the union would proceed with these charges but did not disclose whether the union plans to challenge the election results, leaving that decision to the union’s legal team.

These charges allege that Mercedes-Benz has disciplined employees for discussing unionization at work, prohibited distribution of union materials and paraphernalia, surveilled employees, discharged union supporters, forced employees to attend captive audience meetings, and made statements suggesting that union activity is futile, according to the NLRB.

The UAW has also filed other charges against automakers such as Honda, Hyundai, Lucid, Rivian, Tesla, and Toyota, continuing their extensive efforts to organize non-union plants across the United States.