By Nora Eckert
DETROIT (Reuters) – The United Auto Workers (UAW) union is seeking new elections at a Mercedes-Benz (OTC:) plant in Alabama after losing a vote there last week, according to a petition filed with National Labor on Friday Relations Board.
The union accused Mercedes of engaging in “a relentless anti-union campaign,” including firing pro-union employees and holding regular rallies with captive audiences to spread anti-union views, the filing said.
“We sincerely hoped that the UAW would respect our team members’ decision. Throughout the election, we have worked with the NLRB to adhere to its guidelines and will continue to do so as we move through this process,” a Mercedes spokesperson said .
The UAW lost when about 56% of the nearly 5,000 workers at the Vance, Alabama plant and the nearby battery plant voted against unionizing. It was a difficult setback for the labor group that won a historic victory last month at a Volkswagen plant (ETR:) in Tennessee.
The UAW said in its filing that Mercedes’ efforts to influence the vote constituted unfair labor practices and prevented free employee choice, warranting a new election.
An NLRB spokesperson said a regional director will review the union’s objection and could decide to set a hearing in the coming weeks.
The battle at Mercedes was much more contentious than at VW, where the company took a neutral position, union and labor experts said.
Mercedes leaders, for example, often pointed to signs at the factory urging employees to vote no, according to employee and photos reviewed by Reuters.
Mercedes also replaced the US company’s CEO in the weeks leading up to the election and encouraged employees to give him a chance, which some employees said strengthened the anti-union campaign.
