As workers at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance prepare to vote on joining the United Auto Workers Union (UAW), State Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) said other car manufacturers in the state may consider moving out if the unionization goes through.
Last Friday on WVNN's "The Dale Jackson Show," Orr said Hyundai, which has been at odds with Montgomery, has been discussing its next move.
When asked if he's heard about them considering exiting Alabama, Orr said, "I have heard that same topic, same discussion that, yes, they are not happy, and that future growth in Alabama would come to a screeching halt as far as some of our other automakers because of this. That's certainly concerning because there are other states that would certainly love to have what we have in Alabama and what we've been working to have since Mercedes first came in the early 90s."
Orr said due to the federal National Labor Relations Act, the State's hands are tied when it comes to affecting union organization efforts. Governor Kay Ivey, along with the governors of Tennessee — where a Chatanooga Volkswagen plant just voted to unionize — Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas oppose the UAW's unionization efforts.
"These things take time, but the UAW doesn't stop at the state lines. They will follow wherever they think they can get sufficient votes to organize," Orr continued. "I would think they'll find where there's a disenchanted employee base to work with, and the first dominos start tipping over as the organization efforts proceed and the promises are made by the UAW. If an employer has not been mindful of their employees, they could be vulnerable, certainly, to an organizational effort."
Mercedes-Benz workers in Vance will vote from May 13 to May 17 on whether to join the UAW.
Caleb Taylor contributed to this article.
To connect with the story's author or comment, email daniel.taylor@1819news.com or find him on Twitter and Facebook.
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