Mercedes-Benz may become the second automaker conquered by the United Auto Workers union

United Auto Workers union president Shawn Fain celebrates with Volkswagen workers on April 19,2024, after a successful organizing campaign.

United Auto Workers union president Shawn Fain celebrates with Volkswagen workers on April 19,2024, after a successful organizing campaign.

After months of organizing efforts, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union is just hours away from finding out if workers at Mercedes-Benz’s factory in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, will unionize.

A supermajority of workers at Mercedes’s assembly plant last month filed a petition with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for a union election to join the UAW. The more than 5,000 workers at the facility make the GLE, GLE Coupé, GLS Maybach, and the all-electric EQS SUV and EQE SUV.

The UAW, which launched an unprecedented nationwide organizing push in November after securing record contracts in Detroit, has been careful about its latest campaigns. It has, so far, focused its efforts on facilities where organizers had previously won support and needed a few additional nudges to tip the scales in its favor.

Mercedes workers first went to the polls on Monday to vote on whether the workforce should join the UAW. The voting period ended shortly before 11:00 a.m. ET Thursday, and results are expected in the afternoon.

A bitter contest

The election follows months of conflict between workers, union organizers, and management officials in Alabama.

The UAW has alleged that Mercedes is running an “aggressive anti-union” campaign to stifle organizing efforts. The union in March filed federal charges against the German automaker, alleging that the company has been retaliating against workers for being pro-union.

Some pro-union workers have described other UAW supporters being terminated for having their cell phones out. Al Ezell, who has stage 4 lung cancer and works at the battery plant, said last month that he was disciplined for having his phone on the factory floor, despite having permission to check it.

The UAW has also filed charges against Mercedes-Benz Group in German court under the Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains, which sets standards for firms based in Germany to adhere to strict standards within their supply chains. It’s the first time a U.S.-based union has filed charges under the law, which went into effect last year; Mercedes could face “billions in penalties,” according to the UAW.

On Thursday, just a day before polls closed, the UAW announced that German authorities have begun investigating Mercedes over the union’s charges.

Mercedes has denied the claims, telling Quartz in a statement that “it has not interfered with or retaliated against any Team Member in their right to pursue union representation.” The company has also said it will fully cooperate with authorities.

Just weeks before the election, Mercedes Benz U.S. International replaced CEO Michael Goebel with Federico Kochlowski, who was most recently vice president of operations at Mercedes’ U.S. branch. The Huffington Post reports that in a letter to workers this week Kochlowski wrote that he is a “person of my word,” adding that “I hope you’ll give me a chance to do what I came here to do.”

The letter was condemned by IndustriALL, which represents more than 50 million workers across 140 countries. The global union federation said Thursday that “workers at Mercedes’ plant in Alabama are facing union busting, with the employer spreading disinformation,” instead of a “free and fair process.”

On Monday, as voting kicked off, Mercedes texted its employees a link to a video of Tuscaloosa city councilor and reverend Matthew Wilson suggesting employees vote against unionizing. Alabama House Majority Leader Scott Stadthagen has called the UAW a “multi-level marketing scheme,” while Governor Kay Ivey signed a joint-statement with six other governors criticizing the union.

An unprecedented effort

The UAW’s efforts in Mercedes mark itssecond attempt — in this campaign — to organize a plant in the American South, which is home to many “right to work” states and has been largely opposed to union activity for decades.

Automakers in the region picked plants in rural areas, where unions aren’t traditionally popular, screened hires to exclude prospective employees who would be interested in joining a union, and hired temporary workers as a “buffer” if layoffs were necessary, according to Stephen Silvia, a professor at American University who wrote “The UAW’s Southern Gamble: Organizing Workers at Foreign-owned Vehicle Plants.”

Automakers also put up television monitors throughout the plants displaying anti-union messaging and donated to local churches, charities, and politicians important to the community.

Volkswagen last month became the the first conquered carmaker in the UAW’s push to organize all 14 auto companies with nonunion plants in the U.S. Workers at the company’s plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, had voted down previous organizing pushes; however, the UAW was confident it had built up enough support at the plant to make it a successful first push.

If enough Mercedes workers vote against the union, the UAW’s months-long momentum will be scattered. It would also be the first major loss for UAW President Shawn Fain, who took office in March 2023, and could possibly weaken organizing efforts in other facilities.

The union has dedicated $40 million to organize workers at plants operated by Nissan, Hyundai Motor, Subaru, and Tesla. More than 10,000 workers have signed union cards in recent months, according to a UAW tally.

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