Workers at New Flyer's EV bus plants, including 600 in Anniston, Alabama, have successfully unionized with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and ratified a contract that will increase most workers' pay by 25-38%. The contract also restricts forced overtime and expands paid time off to include more parental leave and a Juneteenth holiday. This development, involving 1200 workers, is part of a broader labor movement in the US South, where unionization efforts are gaining momentum in traditionally union-scarce regions.
UAW's stinging loss in Alabama won't kill national organizing effort https://t.co/a2Da931fCI https://t.co/C0R0hxovt6
UAW's stinging loss in Alabama won't kill national organizing effort @NoraEckert https://t.co/GloqbhM9Zu https://t.co/BrD7XkPVkB
The UAW losing in Alabama was more than a win for workers who didn’t want Michigan suits “representing” them for a steep fee. As @Mike_Saltsman notes, it showed that “card check,” which does away with secret ballot votes - a top Democrat labor priority - is completely senseless https://t.co/0PyD5u22EP
⚠️ ANALYSIS-UAW'S STINGING LOSS IN ALABAMA WON'T KILL NATIONAL ORGANIZING EFFORT Full Story → https://t.co/p0qOICIjMB https://t.co/vQ4xK9E4c3
Workers said Mercedes regularly pulled them into group or 1-on-1 mandatory anti-union meetings, sometimes lasting over an hour. Mercedes texted them a video this week in which a local pastor urged they preserve their ability “to go directly to the company” https://t.co/4wnss0Avn5 https://t.co/vSxc9tE9kE
Responding to the loss at a Mercedes plant in Alabama, @UAW president Shawn Fain says: "I'm not scared at all ... We're going to keep doing what we do and I think we're going to keep winning. This is a setback ... But no, I think we're gonna be fine." https://t.co/zhvYmFWnGy
“Mercedes is a better place thanks to this campaign & these courageous workers,” says @ShawnFainUAW, citing changes it made like eliminating tiers and replacing local CEO. “What happens next is up to them. Justice isn’t about just one vote or one campaign” https://t.co/4wnss0zXxx https://t.co/vSxc9tDBv6
“We thank all team members who asked questions, engaged in discussions, & ultimately, made their voices heard on this important issue,” Mercedes says. Says it looks forward to “continuing to work directly with our team members” to ensure a great workplace https://t.co/4wnss0zXxx https://t.co/RvJClTp03r
“The UAW has enough momentum to try again both at the Vance plant and at other auto plants in the South… At Volkswagen, it took a decade.” https://t.co/4wnss0zXxx @NelsonLichtens1 https://t.co/RvJClTp03r
“I would assume that the other companies that the UAW is aiming to organize will respond to the organizing much more like Mercedes did than Volkswagen” says former NLRB chair Wilma Liebman. But “I presume it’s not going to be a fatal or permanent setback” https://t.co/4wnss0zXxx https://t.co/vSxc9tDBv6
From @MercedesBenz on union vote: “Our goal throughout this process was to ensure every eligible Team Member had the opportunity to participate in a fair election. We thank all Team Members who asked questions, engaged in discussions, and ultimately, made their voices heard…”
“When we first started the campaign, it was trying to explain to people that it wouldn’t be some outside entity...taking over the company, that it would just be us going into meetings and going into different decision making situations,” [Mercedes employee Robert] Lett stated." https://t.co/uLvNIG70PH
New Flyer's Anniston, Alabama workers just ratified their first union contract. Here's a story I wrote about the organizing drive four years ago. https://t.co/QFcfZUKDbZ @capitalandmain
From New Flyer workers organizing with @CWAUnion, Blue Bird workers organizing with @steelworkers, and Volkswagen and soon-to-be Mercedes workers organizing with @UAW, working people are claiming their power in the South. We love to see it. #OrganizeTheSouth https://t.co/15uXJ8D3lo
“It's a great thing for everyone in the state of Alabama, because we’re not behind anymore — we’re moving forward… It is going to change my whole entire life.” https://t.co/ip8Yv7kdNw @CWAUnion @JobsMoveAmerica Unpaywalled: https://t.co/Ss2GMVEmyt https://t.co/PcFKl30sYu
Scoop: 1200 workers at NFI's EV bus plants have unionized - including 600 in Alabama who just ratified a contract that will raise most workers’ pay 25-38% - after a sprawling, years-long multi-front battle ended with commitments including union neutrality https://t.co/Ss2GMVEmyt
New Flyer workers in Alabama have formed a union with CWA and inked a contract with big raises! ✊ The contract also restricts forced overtime and expands paid time off to include more parental leave and a Juneteenth holiday. https://t.co/etQd1evFDK
Another EV factory has unionized in the US South, boosting the labor movement's push into the union-scarce region and the green economy https://t.co/pwd0NDDPgu
"Kay Finklea, a 23-year [Mercedes] employee...said even at the last minute, union supporters are still answering a lot of questions. 'We are staying present so people can see that we are here,' she said. 'We want to be visible in numbers." https://t.co/FrF0UIoOw7