Mercedes-Benz workers to vote on UAW membership in May

(Reuters) - Workers at a Mercedes Benz factory in Vance, Alabama will vote between May 13 and May 17 on whether to join the United Auto Workers union, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) said on Thursday.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Winning a vote to organize workers at Mercedes' Tuscaloosa plant will be a big victory for the UAW as it makes renewed attempts to bring factory employees of foreign-owned automakers in the U.S. into its fold.

The elections follow months of organizing efforts at several non-union automakers owned by foreign companies such as Hyundai Motor and Toyota Motor.

CONTEXT

Earlier this month, workers at the Mercedes plant filed an election petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to hold an election to join the UAW.

The UAW's record contracts with the Detroit Three Automakers - General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler parent Stellantis - have increased calls to organize non-union automakers.

This week, workers at Volkswagen's Chattanooga, Tennessee plant will be voting on their decision to join the union. The UAW organizers have twice lost a vote at that plant, narrowly missing a majority in 2014 and 2019.

BY THE NUMBERS

The UAW said earlier this month that 5,200 eligible Mercedes workers at the plant and a nearby plant in Woodstock, Alabama signed cards to join the union.

The NLRB will conduct the ballot count beginning around 10:45 am ET on May 17, with results expected on the same day.

(Reporting by Shivansh Tiwary and Nathan Gomes in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Anil D'Silva)

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