Auto workers in Alabama are voting on joining a union. Here's what you need to know
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In Alabama, a high-stakes election gets underway today. Workers at Mercedes Benz begin voting on whether to join the United Auto Workers Union. NPR's Andrea Hsu reports.
ANDREA HSU, BYLINE: No doubt most everyone at Mercedes was paying attention last month when workers over at Volkswagon in Tennessee voted overwhelmingly to unionize.
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SHAWN FAIN: You guys are leading the way, and we're gonna carry this fight on to Mercedes and everywhere else.
UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: Yeah.
HSU: Now it's pretty clear Mercedes doesn't want a repeat of that in Alabama. David Johnston, who works at the battery plant, says they've been barraged with antiunion videos and closed-door meetings.
DAVID JOHNSTON: The entire message in those meetings is vote no, vote no, vote no.
HSU: Mercedes said in a statement to NPR that it fully respects its employees' choice on the matter. But to workers, the message was...
JOHNSTON: We don't think you need to do this. This is not what you want.
HSU: And they've been getting an earful from the state's political leaders as well. In an op-ed, Alabama House speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter called the UAW a dangerous leech that sucked all the blood out of Detroit. Commerce Secretary Ellen McNair warned on Alabama Public Television that unionizing at Mercedes could cost the state jobs.
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ELLEN MCNAIR: Not only could there be layoffs. There could be investment made in other parts of the country or in other countries.
HSU: And McNair said Alabama's governor, Kay Ivey, has told automakers in the state to deal with their workers' discontent.
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MCNAIR: Governor Ivey has been on the phone with the leaders of Mercedes and Hyundai and said, if there are issues, you need to fix this.
HSU: Mercedes appears to be trying to do just that. Two weeks ago, the company announced a leadership shakeup in Alabama. Through a video, the new CEO, Federico Kochlowski, essentially told workers, give me a chance.
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FEDERICO KOCHLOWSKI: Over the last few months, I've watched closely. I've listened very carefully. And I think I understand what needs to change.
HSU: Workers have been calling for better wages and health care benefits and more predictable schedules. Battery worker David Johnston says they were promised Sundays off, but for a while, he was working 12 hours a day, seven days a week.
JOHNSTON: I pretty much missed the first year of my youngest daughter growing up. You know, that's time that I can't get back, unfortunately.
HSU: But he can vote. Mercedes workers have until Friday to cast their ballots. Andrea Hsu, NPR news.
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