Mercedes workers vote no to union. UAW says they were illegally intimidated
More than 5,000 Mercedes-Benz workers who build luxury SUVs in Alabama were eligible to vote on whether to join the UAW. Workers faced intense anti-union messaging from Mercedes in the run-up.
Updated May 17, 2024 at 4:51 PM ET
It's a no. Autoworkers at Mercedes-Benz near Tuscaloosa have rejected joining the United Auto Workers union, by a vote of 2,642 to 2,045.
The results are a big setback for the UAW, which had enjoyed a string of victories in recent months, starting with the historic strikes last fall against the Big Three carmakers Ford, GM and Stellantis that resulted in big wage gains and benefits for workers.
Just a month ago, Volkswagen workers in Tennessee voted nearly 3-to-1 in favor of joining the UAW, upending longstanding assumptions about the South.
But the outcome in Alabama, where more than 5,000
