![\"UAW](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/therealnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/GettyImages-1712273403-scaled.jpg?fit=2000%2C1334&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nUAW members attend a rally in support of the labor union strike at the UAW Local 551 hall on the South Side on October 7, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Jim Vondruska\/Getty Images<\/p>\n\n\n\n This story originally appeared in Common Dreams<\/a> on May 13, 2024. It is shared here with permission under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) license.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Invest in the future of journalism. Support The Real News Network <\/a>and amplify voices that matter. Join us in holding power to account. Your donation<\/a> to The Real News Network makes a difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From Monday through Friday, around 5,200 employees of Mercedes-Benz in Alabama will vote on whether to join the United Auto Workers\u2014which has set its sights<\/a> on the U.S. South after contract wins<\/a> at the industry\u2019s \u201cBig Three\u201d in Michigan last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Join thousands of others who rely on our journalism to navigate complex issues, uncover hidden truths, and challenge the status quo with our free newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox three times a week<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n While Republican leaders<\/a> in the state, including Gov. Kay Ivey<\/a>, and at least one worker<\/a> have publicly attacked the unionization effort<\/a>, multiple Mercedes employees have signaled their support for the UAW going into this week\u2019s voting at an assembly facility in Vance and battery plant in Woodstock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve watched our company not keep up with the times,\u201d Mercedes worker Brett Garrard recently told<\/a> the Detroit Free Press<\/em>. \u201cWe pray for fair wages, comparative wages inside the auto industry. Benefits packages have suffered throughout the years. My wife, herself, has stage four cancer. I\u2019d like to see something implemented to maybe help our situation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n David Johnston, who works at the Woodstock plant, has also cited medical concerns, telling<\/a> Forbes<\/em> that \u201cI\u2019m always in a medical hospital. I\u2019m always sick. I need better healthcare. Plus, when I retire I\u2019m not going to have any insurance until Medicare kicks in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Johnston is optimistic about the vote in Alabama. He pointed to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where Volkswagen plant employees last month overwhelmingly voted<\/a> to join the UAW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI mean, hands down. I think we\u2019re gonna win. We\u2019re gonna win. Hopefully by a lot,\u201d he said. \u201cIt seems like it\u2019s gonna be a slam dunk just like Volkswagen. Everybody\u2019s excited.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Haeden Wright, a senior organizer for Jobs to Move America, told<\/a> AL.com<\/em> that a win in Alamaba \u201cwould show workers across all different industries that they can stand up together and fight for more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/twitter.com\/UAW\/status\/1790049991676838289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1790049991676838289%7Ctwgr%5Ea86911bb55ddaccedb6336aa664dec7871477bd9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftherealnews.com%2Fwere-gonna-win-alabama-mercedes-workers-begin-uaw-vote<\/p>\n\n\n\n In comments to The Guardian<\/em>, Mercedes employee Rick Webster similarly framed<\/a> this week\u2019s vote as part of a larger battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s time for Alabama workers to stand up and unite not just at Mercedes, but at Hyundai, Honda, and Toyota. It\u2019s time for everybody to stand up and have a voice and we need to end the Alabama discount,\u201d he said<\/a>, using an organizer term to highlight how workers in the state have subpar wages and benefits compared to their peers elsewhere in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Webster also called out Mercedes\u2019 efforts to convince workers in Alabama not to vote in favor of joining the UAW\u2014which has filed multiple union-busting complaints against the company with the National Labor Relations Board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt is a daily barrage of text messages, emails, and there\u2019s an app we have for work for every kind of announcement you can think of and we\u2019re getting two to three notifications daily. Every day before the shift, we have to sit in the team room and watch anti-union videos,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt\u2019s just been a constant barrage. Everybody is just sick and tired of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Johnston told<\/a> NPR<\/em> that \u201cthe entire message in those meetings is Vote no, vote no, vote no. We don\u2019t think you need to do this. This is not what you want<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A company spokesperson has told multiple news outlets that Mercedes-Benz U.S. International \u201cfully respects our team members\u2019 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The United Auto Workers webpage<\/a> on the Alabama effort includes information about who is eligible to vote, how to participate, and workers\u2019 rights as well as the UAW\u2019s responses to some of opponents\u2019 allegations against the union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRight now, Mercedes is doing whatever they can to discourage us. But voting yes for our union is a game-changer,\u201d the UAW webpage says. \u201cOnce we vote yes, the company is legally required to sit down with us as equals to bargain a contract. Just like VW, Mercedes has negotiated union contracts with workers all around the world. We can win our union, our union contract, and our fair share right here in Alabama.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jessica Corbett is a staff writer for Common Dreams. Follow her on Twitter: @corbett_jessica.More by Jessica Corbett<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A victory in the Southern state, said one organizer, \u201cwould show workers across all different industries that they can stand up together and fight for more.\u201d BY\u00a0JESSICA CORBETT MAY 14, 2024 (therealnews.com) UAW members attend a rally in support of the labor union strike at the UAW Local 551 hall… Continue reading ![\"Common](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/therealnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cd_stacked_white_600.png?resize=600%2C150&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nJESSICA CORBETT<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n