DETROIT/WASHINGTON — Workers at a Mercedes-Benz assembly plant in Vance, Ala., filed a petition with U.S. regulators to hold an election to join the UAW, the union said on Friday.
The SUV plant is the second to file an election petition with the National Labor Relations Board in recent weeks. Reuters previously reported that Mercedes workers in Alabama would file an election petition with the NLRB as soon as this week.
The UAW said a “supermajority” of the more than 5,000 eligible Mercedes workers at the plant signed cards to join the union. The UAW hopes for a vote by early May.
Mercedes-Benz USA said it was aware of the UAW petition.
“MBUSI fully respects our Team Members’ choice whether to unionize and we look forward to participating in the election process to ensure every Team Member has a chance to cast their own secret-ballot vote, as well as having access to the information necessary to make an informed choice,” the automaker said in a statement.
“Our primary focus at MBUSI is always to provide a safe and supportive work environment for our Team Members, so they can continue to build safe and superior vehicles for the world. We believe open and direct communication with our Team Members is the best path forward to ensure continued success.”
The election comes after months of organizing efforts at more than a dozen non-union automakers owned by foreign companies like Hyundai Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp., as well as EV makers Tesla Inc. and Rivian Automotive Inc.
After securing record contracts for the Detroit 3 — General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Stellantis — UAW President Shawn Fain pledged to accomplish a goal the labor group has failed at repeatedly over the last few decades: welcoming a new automaker to its unionized 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 line in Michigan — a key battleground state in this fall’s election — has backed UAW efforts to organize the nonunion automakers.
In Chattanooga, Tenn., workers at a Volkswagen plant were first to petition for a UAW vote, which is expected to be finalized by April 19. UAW organizers have twice lost a vote at that plant, narrowly missing a majority in 2014 and 2019. There have also been failed attempts at plants owned by Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co.
Union officials have claimed in filings to federal regulators that some automakers are retaliating against workers or encumbering their attempts to organize. The labor group on Wednesday filed charges against Mercedes for violating Germany’s new law on global supply chain practices, which prohibits German companies from disregarding workers’ rights to form trade unions.
The company responded to some of the union’s charges, saying they are inaccurate. It also said the company recognizes its employees’ rights to organize.