After dedicating two decades of his life to the Mercedes-Benz factory in Alabama, Brett Garrard has reached a turning point. He has grown tired of what he perceives as deceitful tactics and has made the decision to support a union. Garrard no longer wishes to be swayed by falsehoods and is ready to take action.
Despite making repeated promises to improve pay and conditions, the company has failed to deliver on its commitments, according to Garrard.
Garrard expressed his discontent with the notion that Mercedes considers their team as a family. He firmly believes that the way they operate does not align with how he would treat his own family.
Next week, over 5,000 workers at the Mercedes-Benz facility in Vance, Alabama, along with a nearby battery plant, will have the opportunity to vote on whether or not to join the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. Following the recent successful unionization at a Volkswagen factory in Tennessee, the UAW is hoping for another significant victory at Mercedes-Benz.
Winning at Mercedes would be a significant victory for the UAW, as they are striving to overcome opposition to unions in the Deep South. In this region, states have enticed foreign auto manufacturers with generous tax incentives, reduced labor expenses, and a workforce without union representation.
Garrard, along with other workers who are backing the union, expressed their concerns to The Associated Press. They cited various issues, including stagnant pay that fails to keep up with inflation, high insurance costs, unpredictable work shifts, and a feeling of being easily replaceable in a plant where they build luxury vehicles that can exceed $100,000 in price.
“We may be Southern autoworkers, but we deserve to be paid like autoworkers,” Garrard asserted.
Mercedes is currently advertising a starting hourly wage of $23.50 for full-time production members, with pay reaching up to approximately $34 in four years, as stated on a state worker training website. According to reports, the company recently raised wages in an attempt to discourage the unionization effort.
Jacob Ryan, a 34-year-old employee, has been with Mercedes for a decade. He initially joined as a temporary worker, earning around $17 per hour for the same job responsibilities. Eventually, he was hired full-time. Ryan expresses concern about how inflation is impacting employee wages. He currently spends nearly $1,200 per month on his son’s day care and his daughter’s after-school care.
“We’re not seeing any of it going to the employees. It’s frustrating because we’re still stuck in the same situation, having to pay a lot more for everything,” Ryan expressed.
According to Ryan, the union push is gaining more momentum this time, particularly after the UAW successfully negotiated for higher wages for workers at Detroit’s three automakers.
UAW members achieved significant economic advancements following a series of strikes against Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis last autumn. For instance, top production workers at GM now receive a wage of $36 per hour, amounting to approximately $75,000 annually, not including overtime, benefits, and profit sharing, which exceeded $10,000 this year. Looking ahead, by 2028, top-scale GM employees will be earning $42.95 per hour, equivalent to around $89,000 per year.
Mercedes-Benz U.S. International Inc. expressed its anticipation for all employees to be able to exercise their right to vote confidentially. The company emphasized the importance of providing workers with the necessary information to make an informed decision regarding unionization.
The company expressed its commitment to creating a safe and supportive work environment for its employees.
“Our statement emphasizes the importance of open and direct communication with our valued Team Members as the most effective approach to sustain ongoing success,” the company highlighted.
Melissa Howell, a 56-year-old worker, expressed her intention to vote against the union when she casts her ballot next week. Voting will commence on Monday and conclude on Friday.
Howell, an experienced team leader with 19 years of service at the Mercedes plant, holds a skeptical view of the UAW following a scandal involving bribery and embezzlement. This scandal resulted in the imprisonment of two former union presidents. Being a Michigan native, Howell grew up hearing negative remarks about the union from her relatives who were employed by automakers.
According to Mercedes, they had been treating their workers poorly for a few years, which had helped the union in their organizing efforts. However, in recent months, the company has made efforts to improve conditions after the UAW began recruiting. They have eliminated a lower tier of wages for new hires and replaced the old plant CEO with a new one who actively engages with workers and listens to their concerns.
“I believe the company’s progress is prompting individuals to seriously contemplate their decisions,” Howell expressed.
David Johnston, 26, expressed his belief that the momentum is shifting in favor of the union while wearing a “Union YES” button at a rally outside a Tuscaloosa church.
According to Johnston, there is a strong sense of confidence among everyone. It is a shared belief that victory is inevitable.
Art Wheaton, director of labor studies at Cornell University, believes that organizing workers at Mercedes will prove to be more challenging compared to Volkswagen’s plant in Tennessee. This difficulty arises from the fact that the United Auto Workers (UAW) has not previously managed to recruit enough workers at the Mercedes plant to earn a vote.
The union’s strong momentum heading into next week’s election is fueled by Volkswagen’s resounding victory in the third plantwide vote since 2014, according to Wheaton. He pointed out that the union had prior experience in recruiting workers at Volkswagen’s plant and had established relationships with them from previous organizing efforts, even though those attempts had narrowly missed success. Wheaton added that a UAW victory at Mercedes would be an even greater triumph since it would be achieved on the first attempt.
According to Wheaton, he wouldn’t be surprised if the UAW emerges victorious at Mercedes. However, he also acknowledges that it becomes more challenging when the necessary infrastructure is not already established.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, along with five other governors from the Southern states, has made a plea to workers to oppose the union. Their concern is that the union’s presence may potentially put jobs at risk and hinder the growth of the automotive industry in the region.
According to a statement by Ivey, the opening of the Mercedes plant in 1993 has had a positive impact on tens of thousands of Alabama families. However, she believes that the union’s primary interest is to ensure that money from hardworking Alabama families ultimately goes into the UAW bank account.
The Alabama vote follows two recent labor battles in the state. One involved a unionization attempt at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, while the other was a nearly two-year strike at Warrior Met Coal. In the latter case, miners made sacrifices in terms of reduced pay and benefits in order to keep the mines operational. However, when the company recovered financially, the promised benefits were not reinstated.
Former U.S. Senator Doug Jones, who was the last Democrat to hold statewide office in Alabama, highlighted the significant role that unions have played in shaping and strengthening the middle class within the state.
“This vote has the potential to be a pivotal moment for organized labor in Alabama, as we are already witnessing an increase in membership,” remarked Jones, drawing from his personal background as the son of a steelworker and the grandson of a coal miner.
