Even days after the union election defeat at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama, the sting is still raw. Losing by 597 votes out of 5,000, after years of groundwork and six months of intense dedication, is a tough blow. It’s especially disheartening knowing that a significant number of workers initially pledged their support for the union, only to waver in the final weeks.
While a comprehensive understanding of what went wrong and the precise reasons for the loss will take time to emerge, I want to share some immediate reflections while they are still fresh. Having worked at Mercedes for nearly 25 years and participated in multiple unionization attempts, this was the first time we reached a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) supervised election to decide on union representation at Uaw Mercedes-benz Alabama.
Until you experience an election firsthand, the full scope of what it entails, and the lengths to which the company will go, remain unknown. Even basic information like the exact number of workers was unclear. We lacked a definitive list of employees, including clarity on who would be included or excluded from the bargaining unit, such as students, temporary workers, or contractors.
Now, we possess a comprehensive employee list, something we never had before. While these workers must now accept a degree of responsibility for company decisions impacting them, should Mercedes-Benz management prove untrustworthy – as I anticipate – we can swiftly capitalize on their missteps. We can remind workers that a union contract means we don’t have to rely on the company’s goodwill; our rights and agreements would be legally binding and in writing.
Worker-Led Strategy: The Cornerstone
Although not formally documented, our strategy was rooted in a core principle learned from past experiences: a worker-led approach. This remains unequivocally crucial.
For any union campaign to succeed, the workers themselves must be at the forefront. Union organizers and the international union can provide essential support and resources, but the workers must drive the effort and maintain visibility.
Our campaign at UAW Mercedes-Benz Alabama was indeed worker-led. However, in the crucial final weeks leading up to the vote, as organizers assisted in election preparations, I observed a noticeable decrease in worker visibility. Volunteer engagement waned, and worker responsiveness to messages and meeting attendance diminished compared to earlier phases.
While the campaign was worker-led from the outset, continuous improvement in maintaining this momentum throughout the entire process is essential.
Reputable Leaders: Building Trust
This union drive benefited from the strongest and most respected group of leaders we’ve ever assembled. These leaders were largely well-regarded and liked by their colleagues.
Importantly, they had solid work records and attendance, preventing the company from using disciplinary actions to discredit them as union supporters. The credibility of our leadership team was a significant point of pride.
Leveraging Team Leaders: A Double-Edged Sword
Early success came from identifying leaders with the mobility to move around the plant and build networks. However, this strategy revealed a critical vulnerability later in the campaign.
We strategically targeted workers with broad access to colleagues during their shifts, aiming for rapid campaign progress. This approach was conceptually sound, but overlooked a crucial nuance.
Line team members have limited movement and reach. In contrast, team leaders, overseeing teams of six to ten, can potentially connect with an entire production line, making them highly valuable. However, their proximity to management and potential aspirations for supervisory roles pose a risk.
In the weeks preceding the most aggressive union busting, management focused intently on these team leaders at UAW Mercedes-Benz Alabama. Many team leaders, initially pro-union, flipped to anti-union in the weeks before the vote. Subsequently, they influenced workers on their lines in the crucial two weeks leading up to the election.
Image alt text: UAW organizers engage with Mercedes-Benz workers on the assembly line in Alabama, discussing the benefits of union representation and addressing concerns before the union election.
Identifying Rank-and-File Team Members: A Necessary Balance
While team leaders are valuable, and some of our strongest advocates were team leaders, it’s crucial to cultivate a sufficient number of regular team members. This buffer is necessary to mitigate the inevitable impact of management efforts to sway team leaders. Rank-and-file members might even be able to persuade their leaders to remain steadfast in their union support.
It’s a risk-reward scenario. Having team leaders on board offers advantages, but their vulnerability due to management proximity is a significant risk. We were significantly impacted in this area.
Our leaders in mobile equipment operation and those who could move freely throughout the plant proved to be invaluable assets to the campaign. However, during an intense union-busting campaign, any off-line role can increase susceptibility to shifting allegiances. The core tactic of an anti-union campaign is to instill fear. Fear of losing less demanding roles to outsourcing, or fear of more senior workers displacing them. It becomes easier to accept the status quo when fear, fueled by falsehoods and rumors, takes hold.
Many of our off-line workers who were not leaders became hesitant in the final weeks, deciding their current situation was “good enough” and ultimately sided with the company.
List-Building: Knowing Your Workforce
Creating and consistently updating worker lists is indispensable. It’s the only way to accurately gauge workforce size, identify areas of strength, and strategically focus organizing efforts at UAW Mercedes-Benz Alabama.
Our list management was effective. Without company-provided data, we only missed the total employee count by 75 workers in a unit of 5,075. The company publicly claimed 6,100 employees.
Public Campaign: Demonstrating Solidarity
Publicly expressing union support is vital for a successful union campaign. It builds confidence among other workers to support and ultimately vote yes for unionization.
Our union organizing leadership team effectively embraced public visibility. However, we observed throughout the campaign that many workers hedged their bets, fearing repercussions if the union vote failed. They were reluctant to be openly public, especially team leaders and those in specialized roles. These workers hesitated to sign union cards despite verbally expressing pro-union sentiments. Ultimately, a significant number of these individuals shifted their commitment.
A worker unwilling to sign a union authorization card is unlikely to remain committed. It’s a major warning sign. In the final days of the campaign and while observing the election, I noticed a stark decline in workers wearing union hats, buttons, and bracelets, items they proudly displayed just months prior.
Public visibility is paramount. We could have been significantly stronger in this area towards the end.
Win With Kindness: Maintaining Respect
Winning over coworkers requires kindness and respect. Personal attacks and name-calling are counterproductive. Maintaining civility is essential at all times.
Our workplace has a popular worker Facebook group. Social media engagement requires caution. Union supporters must maintain honesty and positivity, while the opposition often resorts to dishonesty and negativity.
If engaging on social media, always take the high road. Many users are there for entertainment, and getting drawn into unproductive arguments is easy.
We were initially effective in maintaining a positive approach but faltered later in the campaign, getting drawn into reactive negativity.
Diversity of Issues: Adapting to Company Tactics
Seizing opportunities is important, but it’s a delicate balance. Highlighting company shortcomings is necessary, but remember that companies can adapt and change course, especially if you overemphasize a single issue.
We addressed the issue of two-tier pay at UAW Mercedes-Benz Alabama. Frankly, I believed the company was too arrogant to eliminate it, but they did. I may have focused too heavily on this specific issue, despite its obviousness. We coined the phrase “End the Alabama Discount,” and ironically, support actually increased after the company eliminated two-tier pay and granted a $2 raise.
We then shifted focus to the issue of trust in leadership. Three weeks before the election, the company replaced our CEO, leading to a “give them a chance” mentality that ultimately swayed the vote. Having a diverse range of issues to address is advisable.
Intense Union Busting: An Uneven Playing Field
Why did we lose? The reality is, the system is fundamentally unfair. Weak U.S. labor laws favor the company. The timeframe to an election after filing is only six weeks, during which the company wields immense power.
Our company had been running anti-union videos weekly for months with limited impact. Once we filed for election at UAW Mercedes-Benz Alabama, these videos became daily. Texts were sent to worker phones. Anti-union messages were broadcast on the company app and plant monitors, and management actively urged workers to vote no.
Three weeks before the election, Mercedes-Benz replaced its CEO and simultaneously brought in professional union-busting lawyers who conducted group meetings with workers for two weeks.
Image alt text: Anti-UAW signage displayed at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama during the union election, reflecting the company’s intense opposition to unionization efforts.
Manager Assessment: Targeting the Undecided
Plant supervisors assessed workers, rating them from one to five based on perceived union support. Workers deemed as soft “yes” votes or undecided were summoned to meetings and subjected to fear-mongering narratives about unions by these union busters.
Some claimed to be former lawyers, NLRB agents, or past union members. They presented themselves as neutral, but their message was overwhelmingly anti-union.
A consistent theme in these meetings was “Give the new CEO a chance.” Upon returning to the production lines, “brainwashed” team leaders reinforced this message, pressuring workers to “give the CEO a chance.”
Announced at 30 Percent: Triggering Company Response
What could we have done differently? Our company didn’t launch a full-scale anti-union campaign until we announced reaching 30 percent union cards signed. While this announcement generated initial excitement, it also prompted the company to react sooner than they might have otherwise.
Furthermore, a chorus of “let’s vote” grew louder, fueled by the legal requirement of 30 percent support to file for an election. This became a distraction, diverting focus from the essential task of building a pro-union majority.
You can legally trigger a vote with 30 percent support, but winning requires significantly more. While the 30 percent announcement generated buzz, perhaps delaying the announcement or forgoing it altogether would have been wiser. It’s debatable.
At 50 percent support, we made another announcement. At this point, an influential coworker posted on social media, stating we were no longer in signing mode but in vote mode.
He referenced a decade-old agreement with the international union that was no longer valid, but the damage was done. This was a major misstep, hindering further worker sign-ups.
Teamwork and unity are paramount. “Going rogue” contradicts the very essence of unionism.
Flyers With QR Codes: Public Support Backlash
In retrospect, we should have handled the distribution of flyers with QR codes differently. Two months before the election, workers could use these flyers to publicly declare their union support. This seemed like an effective way to demonstrate visible support.
However, many workers who voluntarily added their names to this public list later claimed it was done without their consent. While likely dishonest, this tactic sowed seeds of doubt among undecided workers.
In hindsight, requiring verbal or written confirmation from each worker before publicizing their support – and either releasing the list earlier or later to minimize the time gap – might have been preferable.
Ultimately, despite enduring one of the most aggressive anti-union campaigns in the automotive industry in recent decades, uncertain workers at UAW Mercedes-Benz Alabama succumbed to the company’s message. They took the “give the CEO a chance” bait and chose the perceived safety of the status quo over worker-led change. They opted to “give him a year.”
CEOs are transient, and corporate promises are often hollow. Only through a union and a legally binding contract can workers secure guarantees that the company will respect their workforce and uphold agreements.
Whether it takes a year or slightly longer, our organizing committee will return, advocating for workers and reminding them that there is another path. A better path. The union path.
