Win some, lose some; mixed fortunes for the UAW

In April, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union won what was seen as a historic vote to represent the workforce at the Volkswagen factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee; but a month later, the workers at the Mercedes factory in Alabama rejected the UAW’s overtures by 56% against to 44% in favour.

The Mercedes Alabama factory has grown substantially from modest beginnings; when it opened in the mid-1990s, capacity was set at around 50,000 per annum. within a few months this had been raised to over 90,000 pa and since then, capacity has risen steadily and now stands at over 300,000 per annum. The VW vote led many to expect the Mercedes workforce would follow as the UAW intensifies its push into the relatively new manufacturing sites in the southern states. However, Mercedes itself, and other business leaders and politicians in Alabama, combined to register strong opposition to the UAW. Union leader Shawn Fain admitted the loss was painful but indicated that in future the UAW would seek another vote, adding that ultimately he expects to win the right to represent the Mercedes workers.