In mid-May, Shawn Fain’s endless bravado hit a wall when Mercedes workers rejected UAW membership in Alabama. This cast a shadow over a mass-organizing effort in the South, where the union apparently felt too confident after their victory at a Volkswagen plant. Fain had claimed that 70% of workers signed union-authorization cards at two Mercedes plants. Yet a majority of these workers declined what the union was selling. Why?
A bit more context: the vote went Mercedes’ way, 56% to 44%, with around 90% of 5,200 workers participating. Unironically, Fain insists that the Mercedes election was not “a fair fight” – after he became UAW president in a questionable runoff in which less than 13% of members cast ballots due to alleged voter suppression – but let’s look at how the company won:
- Change In Leadership: On May 1st, Mercedes installed Federico Kochlowski as the new president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz U.S. International (MBUSI), replacing Michael Göbel. Kochlowski urged workers to give him a chance, and it seems to have worked.
- UAW On Autopilot: Fain conducted the campaign mainly via digital means without investing much on-the-ground manpower. Perhaps Fain should spend less time taking rock-star selfies and accepting an advisory position from President Biden and more time focusing on a job that pays him $228,000+ annually. Just a thought.
- In the workers’ words: Choice quotes include “Federico has been a positive influence… It was all production-driven before him; he’s more about the team members. He’s willing to change” and (from a team leader who believed that a union would lead to layoffs) “If it’s not broke, don’t rock the boat.”
- Detroit Contract Fallout: Fain previously promised to insulate Ford, GM, and Stellantis workers from layoffs while using the “stand-up strike” to strong-arm companies into financially unsustainable new contracts. Predictably, this led to job losses, especially at Stellantis, where workers called out the union’s lies. Surely, Mercedes workers were paying attention.
- Icing On The Cake: Mercedes hosted legendary NFL coach Nick Saban to discuss workers’ concerns. Saban also asked the UAW to cease twisting his remarks to support their unionization drive. Why did the UAW do that? Your guess is as good as ours. Saban owns a handful of Mercedes-Benz dealerships, so it only makes sense he would not want a union interfering in his business.
The Union Cleanup: Curiously, Fain decided last week to assume oversight of the UAW’s Stellantis Department, thereby removing fellow “reformer” VP Rich Boyer from those responsibilities. This feels like obvious damage control, and Michigan’s Stellantis stamping plant is also a sore spot for workers, who recently authorized a strike over safety issues.
Fain is taking some heat for denigrating workplace democracy in a new full-page ad that is running this week in the New York Times.
Additionally, the UAW has curiously petitioned for a new election rather than a Cemex bargaining order, accusing Mercedes of unfair labor practices during the campaign. If the NLRB doesn’t approve a redo, the UAW can try to organize the Alabama Mercedes plants again in a year. Keep your supply of popcorn ready.
