Democracy Dies in Darkness

Mercedes workers in Alabama vote against union effort

The vote was 2,642 to 2,045 against joining the United Auto Workers, according to the National Labor Relations Board.

Updated May 17, 2024 at 5:35 p.m. EDT|Published May 17, 2024 at 7:22 a.m. EDT

Mercedes employees Austin Brooks, David Johnston and Jacob Ryan attend a UAW rally in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on May 5. (Kim Chandler/AP)

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Mercedes workers near Tuscaloosa, Ala., voted against joining the United Auto Workers union on Friday, delivering a blow to the labor movement’s efforts to organize auto factories and other industries across the South.

About 5,000 workers at the German automaker’s sprawling facility were eligible to vote in the election. The vote was 2,642 against to 2,045 in favor, according to the National Labor Relations Board, with 44 percent of votes cast in favor of the union, which needed a majority to win.